Distance
by Bobbie23
Summary: A sequel to Goodbye, Emily tells the rest of the team she's leaving.
1. Chapter 1

Author Note – a sequel to _Goodbye. _I hope you enjoy this; I do have plans for a few more chapters. I would love to read any comments you have, so if you have a few moments let me know what you think.

Disclaimer – I don't own Criminal Minds, or any of its' characters.

Distance

'Distance never separates two hearts that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there. But whenever I start feeling sad cuz I miss you I remind myself how lucky I am to have someone so special to miss.'

Macy Newkirk

Penelope let out a squeal when the email opened on her screen. There in writing was an invitation slash orders to help with the security for the Olympic Games. In London. She glanced briefly at the small snap shot she had by the bottom of her screen. Her own smiling face was beaming back at her as she had her arms wrapped around JJ and Emily as they smiled at whoever had been behind the camera.

It had been quiet without Emily and she missed the brunette terribly. Penelope could clearly remember the day when Emily gathered the team to tell them she was leaving.

_Penelope bustled through the bullpen, Morgan ushering from behind. Normally she would ask what had him so riled up but he was so tense. As far as she was aware they didn't have a case. Panic started to set in as she went up the stairs. He followed her closely to the conference room where everyone else was waiting for them. _

_She joined Reid and JJ who were sat at the table. Hotch was looking over a file in the corner of the room, while Rossi sat casually on the couch reading his paper. Emily stood in front of the screen, pacing back and forth, a finger in her mouth as she nibbled on the nail. Penelope frowned as Emily exchanged a look with Morgan and he leant with his hands in his pockets against the wall nearest Emily, almost protectively._

_Emily dropped her hand from her mouth, rubbing them nervously on her trousers. She turned away from him as she addressed the rest of the group. "Um," Emily cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention. "We haven't got a case, I just wanted…" She trailed off as she glanced around the room at the frowning faces of her friends. _

_Penelope glanced sideways at Reid and JJ, but they looked as confused as she felt as Emily tried to find the right words for whatever she had to say. Worry clouded her mind as she tried to think of a time when Emily had ever been tongue tied. Penelope looked to Hotch and Morgan for a sign of reassurance, but Hotch was focused on Emily, silently offering support. Morgan was also focused on Emily; however he had a mask in place. _

_After a moment, Emily shared another glance with Morgan, who just nodded at her. The brunette regained her composure as she turned back to her friends. "I have some news." _

_Penelope felt her head begin to shake as she felt the foreboding set in her mind, but she didn't interrupt her friend. At her side Reid sat up straighter. _

_Emily nervously wrung her hands again before taking a deep breath. "I'm leaving." _

_The silence in the room was almost deafening. Nobody moved they just sat staring at Emily for a few seconds as what she said sunk in. For a moment Penelope thought it was a joke and everyone was going to yell 'gotcha', but the yell never came. Morgan took his hands out of his pockets and folded his arms across his chest. He already knew. This wasn't a joke, and Emily was leaving. Penelope felt a tear roll down her cheek, catching on the rim of her glasses. _

"_Why?" The quiet question came from Reid. Penelope looked at the young man; his confusion was evident on his face. He looked so childlike at that moment; Penelope's heart broke a little more. _

_Emily swallowed. "Because I need some time," she started. "I can't shake off what happened last year. It feels like I'm dancing around you guys all the time." _

"_How long have you felt this way?" JJ asked. _

_Emily's eyes widened a little as she looked at the woman, who had been her only source of information about the team during those seven months, her only friend to talk to. "Since I came back," she admitted, her own eyes watering. _

_Now that she looked at Emily she could see the worry lines around her eyes. Thinking back over the year, Penelope realised what they had all missed. They had all been concerned with how the team was dealing with her return, and ignored how Emily was dealing with it. She remembered the slight hesitation Emily had when Strauss offered her place back on the team. Penelope understood where her friend was coming from, and cursed herself for not being able to see it sooner. _

"_Why didn't you tell any of us sooner? We could have helped, we could have…" Penelope said, trailing off when Emily shook her head._

"_I ignored it for so long, hoping it would go away. Don't get me wrong, I love being here with all of you and I'm going to miss you so much."_

"_Where are you going?" Rossi asked gently._

_Penelope was distracted as Emily looked over her shoulder at Morgan, who shifted uncomfortably against the wall. Obviously they had already talked about this, and he didn't like the answer. But he said nothing, silently offering his backing to their friend. _

"_London," was all Emily offered. Reid sat up straighter at the same time as Penelope as they realised the same thing._

"_You're going back to Interpol," Reid stated. Emily winced at the edge to his voice, nodding anyway. _

"_But isn't that going to put you back into the same situation?" Penelope couldn't help asking, her worry escalating. She was only slightly relieved when Emily shook her head._

"_It's a desk job, Easter asked me to run the London office," she explained. _

"_But it's in London," Penelope said, unable to keep the whine from her voice as another tear slid down her face. Penelope held onto her composure tightly, though she desperately wanted to cry and pull Emily into a hug that the brunette seemed to need. This had obviously been a hard decision for Emily that had been a long time coming apparently. "Do you have to go that far away?"_

_Emily sniffed as she concentrated on Penelope, her big brown eyes filling with tears as she wiped her cheek. "I already accepted the offer and handed in my resignation." Hotch bowed his head a tad. Refocusing on Emily, Penelope's tears flowed freely as Emily silently begged them not make this harder. _

"_You're really going, aren't you?" JJ asked quietly._

_Emily nodded again. "I love all of you," she said to them, sounding more confident than she did a few moments ago. "This such a hard decision to make, but I realised this isn't like before," Emily paused for a moment. "I don't have to say goodbye. I don't want to." Penelope watched as Emily shared another look with Morgan, he gave her a small twitch that looked like it was the beginnings of a smile. "What I mean is I can come home for a visit, and you guys better visit me." Penelope nodded vehemently, slightly encouraged as Emily wiped another tear away. "I'm going to miss you, all of you."_

_Penelope jumped out of her chair as she finally raced around the table to pull Emily into a hug. Emily clung to her tightly. "I'm going to miss you," Penelope said. "Promise me that you'll stay as safe as you can." Emily nodded against her shoulder as they felt JJ's hands touch their backs and they opened their hug up to their friend. "And you better Skype at least once a week."_

"_Online scrabble is a must," JJ told them. They all laughed gently; trying not to cry in the circle they had created in the middle of the room. _

"_When do you leave?" They turned to Reid; he still sat in the same position. He looked so confused._

"_My resignation is effective as of the end of the week. I leave for London in two," Emily explained, moving closer to him. Reid stood and pulled her into a long hug. "I'm going to miss you Reid."_

"_I think you're going to love London," he said to her. Penelope tilted her head to the side as he gave Emily his blessing. _

"_Not as much as DC," Emily promised as she pulled away from him. "Thank you." Next in line was Rossi, who said something in Italian that made her laugh._

"_Good luck Kiddo," he told her, patting her back. _

_Hotch offered her a stiff hug. "Congratulations, you'll be a great asset to them." Emily smiled at him for his support. _

_Penelope frowned when Emily stepped backwards towards where Morgan stood, but she didn't turn to him nor did he step up for his turn. While it was obvious Morgan accepted Emily's decision and he would support her, there was a strange vibe emanating from the soon-to-be ex-partners. Penelope hoped that it would be different from last year. He had worked so hard to find Doyle, Emily returning being his unexpected reward, only for her to leave again. Penelope hoped their friendship could survive the distance. _

"_I believe that you all have paperwork outstanding from various cases," Hotch said signalling that it was time to call the meeting to an end. Almost everyone filed out of the conference room after him, Emily and Morgan staying where they were. _

_Penelope followed JJ and Reid to their desks, perching on JJ's desk as Hotch and Rossi disappeared into their respective offices. She blocked out the quiet chatter between JJ and Reid, glancing back at the conference room. The blinds were half drawn, but Penelope could see Emily and Morgan. _

_Emily finally turned to face Morgan. Morgan said something to her, Emily nodded. Morgan opened his arms as he pushed off of the wall. Emily accepted his comfort, holding him just as tightly, relief evident on her face. Penelope raised an eyebrow when they stayed in hold for longer than they should, even for people who had been through what they had together. Penelope's mouth formed a perfect 'o' when Morgan placed a small kiss to Emily's forehead and the brunette closed her eyes in response. _

_Her mind processed every interaction she had recently witnessed between the two. They had intended to spend the weekend going through Emily's house inspection. They had been very close at the wedding, holding each other much like they were at the moment. Apparently the increased closeness between them had been another thing that Penelope hadn't noticed. She sighed as she realised that four thousand miles between them would put a halt to that. _

A knock on her office brought her to the present. "Come in," she called to whoever was on the other side. Her Chocolate Thunder popped his head around her door. She brightened even more as she saw him. "Hey handsome, what can I do for you?"

Morgan flashed a mega-watt smile. "Did I just hear a squeal Baby Girl?"

Penelope let out a giggle as she nodded. "I just got some of the best news."

Morgan moved further into the room, closing the door behind him. He raised his eyebrows expectantly as he smiled at his friend's good mood. "Well come on Baby Girl, I know that you're dying to share."

Penelope paused for a moment. She did want to tell him, but was unsure how it would make him feel. Penelope had never asked him about what she had witnessed that day in the conference room, nor had she approached Emily about it. Morgan had been the one to drive Emily to the airport. He'd been in a bit of a flunk ever since.

"I'm going to the Olympics," Penelope rushed out. Morgan sat on the sofa by her window, his hands clasped in front of him as he digested the information.

Slowly a smile crept onto his face. "So am I."


	2. Chapter 2

Author Note – just waiting for solicitors to do their thing. I probably should be starting to pack or at least thinking about decorating, but I got a bit distracted. I hope you all enjoy the result of my distraction. Thanks for all of the reviews; I loved reading them. I would love to know what you think of this chapter, so if you've got a few moments please leave a comment. 

Distance – chapter two

Emily jumped at the sound of her phone ringing. Grabbing it from the table, she saw Penelope's smiling face looking back at her. Tapping the connect button she put the phone to her ear. "Hey Pen, how are you?"

"I'm wonderful Pretty Lady. How are you?"

"I'm good, just enjoying a quiet Saturday before the Olympics start." She'd barely had time to unpack, let alone a day off since she'd started at the London office. Easter ordered her out of the office the night before, telling her not to come back till Monday morning. "What do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?"

"I've actually called to talk to you about the Olympics," Penelope told her. "Does that open invitation still stand?"

Immediately Emily brightened. "You're coming?"

"Actually we're coming," Penelope exclaimed. "My Chocolate Thunder and I will be arriving in a few days. We both received orders to help with security for the Olympics."

Morgan. Emily paused as her mind went blank for a few seconds. She missed him, and they spoke a couple of times a week since she had been in London, but nothing about what had happened between them in the two weeks before she left. "That's great; you can break in my guest bedroom."

"Ooh, I don't mind sharing. But I'm not sure if Morgan can trust my wandering hands." Emily laughed nervously in reply, thinking about how her own hands had done some wandering before she left.

"Okay, he'll have to settle for the pull out," Emily tried to cover her sudden nervousness with the direction of the conversation. She had thought about confiding in Penelope and JJ, but thought better of it. Emily didn't want the techie to get excited about something which wasn't going anywhere.

"We can sort out sleeping arrangements when we get there," Penelope said through the phone. "Now, how's it going over there? Do I need to bring an extra suitcase to smuggle you home in?" Emily smiled as she settled against the cushions, listening to Penelope as she told her about how the rest of the team were doing.

…..

Four days later Emily stood pacing the arrivals terminal at Heathrow. The last time she had been there she had been the one arriving. No one was there to greet her, and she fought the urge to get on a plane straight back to the states.

"_Don't ask me to stay," she asked Morgan as they lay in her dark bedroom. His hand stopped stroking her face, not surprised that she knew what he had been thinking. _

The morning after JJ's wedding they made promises that it had been a one-time thing. Emily had honestly thought it would end with that night, but somehow every night for the following two weeks they ended up in the same bed.

_Emily raised her hand to knock on his front door. She gnawed her lip anxiously as she waited for Morgan to answer. She heard his footsteps approaching the door, there was a pause and Emily realised he was looking through the peephole. The door opened quickly to reveal Morgan, who looked surprised to see her. _

"_Hey," he said gently as he stepped aside and gestured for her to come in. "Are you okay?"_

_Emily nodded as she stepped past him. Emily had no idea what to say to him, wasn't sure why she had turned up here. Morgan shut the door behind her and they stood staring at each other in his hallway. "I spoke to Hotch today," Emily offered. "I think he already knew." _

"_How did it go?"_

"_It was okay, he understood. He said that I can gather the team when everyone comes in tomorrow," she paused. "Would you…? You know it's okay…"Emily hesitated. _

_Morgan reached out with his hand to touch her hand lightly. "What?" She looked at him, hesitating as she decided whether or not to ask him to do this for her. _

"_I'm going to tell them, and I was wondering if you…"_

"_Of course I'll be there," he said, pre-empting what she was going to ask. She gave him half a smile. _

"_I know I have no right to ask." _

_Morgan took a step towards her, shaking his head. "Emily, you're my partner," he told her. "It doesn't matter where either one of us are, I'm always going to be there for you." Morgan stared at her for a moment. "Last night," Emily's eyes widened but he continued anyway. "Was amazing. I want you to know that it means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me."_

_Emily's shoulders slumped as she relaxed. Even though it had been her idea there was part of her that was disappointed that he had resigned himself to not continuing on from the night before. Maybe that was why she came to him tonight. "It means a lot to me too," she replied. _

_His hand still touched hers, and she was grateful for the warmth he offered. "When do you leave for London?" _

_Easter had been the other person she spoke to earlier, confirming all the details. "In two weeks," she told Morgan. His back straightened and his eyes clouded over. _

"_That quick?" He questioned. Emily felt her eyes prickling as she nodded. "I thought we would have more time."_

_This time she stepped towards him, her hand taking a firmer grasp of his. He tugged gently and Emily let him draw her closer until they were millimetres between them. For a split second Emily thought she should walk away now before it became much more complicated. But she couldn't bring herself too. _

"_Remember this isn't goodbye," Emily said as she stepped around him. Her hand trailed behind her as she started up the stairs. He followed her, not questioning whether this was a good idea. _

They never made any promises or declarations as they thoroughly explored one another in the dark. Their encounters weren't all tinged with sadness or regret that they hadn't done this earlier in their relationship. They laughed and joked as the exchanged stories about every scar, every tattoo. Emily relished it when she found a particularly ticklish spot under Morgan's shoulder blade. He hadn't been like other lovers that she had; she felt cherished when he found something new about her.

She had been grateful for his support when she told the team. The feather light kiss he pressed to her forehead sent shivers through her spine as he murmured reassurances. That night neither of them feigned excuses to spend the night together when he turned up at her door.

The easy transition from friends to lovers played on her mind. She thought it would have been awkward, but it wasn't. They never spoke about what was happening between them when sunlight poked through the curtains. Morgan always gave her one last kiss before slipping out of bed to shower. On the last morning she joined him in the shower, not wanting it to end quite so soon, his eyes twinkling when she pulled back the curtain.

_There was silence in the car as he navigated the traffic. Emily studiously looked out of her window, trying to commit every building to memory as she realised it would be a long time till she saw the DC skyline again. Her hand absentmindedly fiddled with the tear drop pendant that hung around her neck, his parting gift to her. _

_All too soon Morgan was parking in the airport car park. Emily avoided eye contact with him as they took her suitcase and carry-on from the trunk. All of her other possessions had either been sent to London or placed in storage. Morgan walked by her side till they reached the security gates. She finally turned to face him, and there was part of her that wished he would ask her to stay, the other part terrified he would. _

"_I'm going to miss you Princess," Morgan told her tenderly. She smiled indulgently at the use of his nickname for her. _

"_You too Morgan," she whispered as she leant up to place a sweet kiss on his lips. She had to let him go. It wasn't fair to ask him to wait for her, for them to make promises when Emily had no idea if or when she would come home. She resolutely pulled away from him, her heart breaking when she saw the sadness in his eyes. _

"_I'm not going to make this harder on you Emily," he promised, not breaking eye contact. "You asked me not to ask you to stay," Morgan reminded her of what she had said the night before._

_Her eyes closed briefly. "Why does it feel like you can read my mind sometimes?"_

"_Because I'm your partner," Morgan smiled. "I know that the last two weeks have been a whirlwind, but I know how I felt when we were together," Emily blushed at the intensity with which he was looking at her. "If the last two weeks is all we get to have, then I know that we had a wonderful time together. I'm just sorry we waited for so long to find out how wonderful it could be. You know how important you are to me and I understand that you need time to figure some things out. Just know that I will always be here for you, whenever you need me. This isn't goodbye, remember?" _

_Emily nodded, relieved and touched by his words. "It was an incredible two weeks." The speaker announced her flight, making them both look up towards the noise. "Well that's me," she reached out to touch his chest, stroking lightly. "You know that you'll always be in my heart, don't you?" Morgan pulled her in for another kiss. Emily moaned as the speaker announced her flight again. "I need to go."_

"_Call me when you land," Morgan said as she took hold of her luggage. Emily rolled her eyes in response. _

And she did call. For the past two months they called a couple of times a week, slipping into a limbo. They didn't mention their brief affair, but there was an air of intimacy as they spoke about their day to day lives.

Emily perked up when the speaker announced the arrival of their flight. Her eyes immediately began searching the crowd that flooded through the gate. A few minutes later Emily saw Penelope's bright smile and waving hand first. She raised her hand to acknowledge the gesture, a wide smile splitting her face. Emily looked past Penelope to see Morgan's smiling face. They locked gazes as they approached. Penelope got to her first, sweeping her into an embrace.

Emily leant her head into the crook of her friend's neck, keeping eye contact with Morgan over Penelope's shoulder. She had missed him.

"You look fabulous," Penelope exclaimed as she pulled back to examine her, seemingly unaware of the partner's silent exchange.

"You too Pen," Emily told her. Almost as immediately she was being gathered into Morgan's arms. He squeezed her tightly as she clung to him. "I missed you; I can't believe that you're here."

"Nowhere else I'd rather be, Princess."


	3. Chapter 3

Author Note – thank you all so much for your lovely reviews. I had a bit of a block while writing this chapter, and I thought about rewriting it several times. I would love to know what you all think about it, so if you have time please let me know.

Distance – chapter three

"Seriously Baby Girl, what have you got in the bag?" Morgan said as he struggled through the door with Penelope's huge bag. Putting his bag down in the entrance of her living room, Emily held her hand over her mouth as she tried to hide her smile.

Penelope wrinkled her nose guiltily as she looked over her shoulder at the bag. "I have some equipment as well as some gifts for Emily from the team."

"Gifts? Reid and JJ gave you small packages, nothing that weighs a ton."

"There's a care package from me," Penelope explained as she glanced around Emily's apartment. "This place is amazing."

Morgan finally put the bag down next to where Emily had placed his and looked around. The building may have been old, but there had been a lot of work done to the restoration. It was pretty impressive, except for the rickety elevator. Looking around the living room he recognised some her things from her apartment, as well as some photos that had been taken at JJ's wedding and Emily's leaving dinner. His eyes finally fell on Emily as she stood to the side, almost self-consciously as they examined her new home. She knew they were looking for signs that she hadn't settled in, any causes for concern.

"Very nice," Morgan said making eye contact. His heartbeat quickened as she sent him a proper smile, grateful for his approval.

"You haven't noticed the best bit yet," Emily said with a twinkle in her eye as she moved to the side to reveal a deep window seat in front of the most spectacular sights they had ever seen. "The view is the incredible."

Penelope went to stand beside her. "Wow," Penelope said softly as they looked out over London. It was such a clear day they could see the London Eye in the distance.

Morgan looked over their shoulders at the view, it was incredible. He could see why Emily was enchanted by it. He glanced in her direction, relieved that she and Penelope were distracted by the sight. She was relaxed, more than she had been in DC. "Beautiful," Morgan quietly as he leant towards Emily. Her head swivelled to acknowledge him and her breath caught when she saw he was staring at her intently. Morgan watched as the pink flush travelled up her neck when she realised he had been speaking about her as well as the view.

"It really is," Penelope said in awe. They both turned to the blonde, relieved when they realised her attention was on the scenery, their little moment had gone unseen by her. They shared another look and Emily sent him an enigmatic smile before turning back to the window, licking her lips quickly.

He noticed the small differences between the ways she reacted to things, momentarily wondered how long she had been hiding from them before she left, slightly worried that she'd managed to achieve it for months. She had started to open up to him before she left, and he was glad that her walls hadn't erected themselves once again now that she was in London. The phone conversations had evoked a mixture of feelings in him; he was happy she felt more relaxed but there was part of him that wished she had found that peace while she had been at home.

Morgan's gaze followed Emily as she moved away from the window brushing past him as she did, her perfume wafting over him as he inhaled discreetly. It was the same one she had worn one night when she spent the night at his house. The same scent that lingered in his bedroom, on his sheets, for almost a week after she left.

Emily turned to look at him with an apology in her eyes as she walked backwards away from him. "I only have one guest room, so unless you're willing to share, someone's got the pull out sofa." Her hands ran across the piece of furniture in question. Morgan nodded in acknowledgement. They all knew he wouldn't let Penelope sleep on the sofa. Emily gestured behind her to the open plan kitchen. "Obviously make yourselves at home. The next few weeks are going to be so busy."

Penelope twirled to face them. "We can worry about that in the morning; right now I want to catch up."

A few hours later Morgan took a sip of his wine as he sat on the sofa opposite Emily and Penelope as they reclined on the window seat. Due to the warm summer, they had opened the window and as day turned to night the air cooled and a slight breeze was drifting in. Emily had opened her presents finding her favourite candy from home, pictures from Henry as well as a photo album compiled by Penelope of her time with the team. Emily loved it all but she had been delighted, although a little confused when she found a hand knit scarf from Reid.

"_He said it's for when the weather gets cold."_ _Morgan explained when she looked questioningly out the window. _

She now wore the garment looped around her neck, the tear drop pendant he'd given her peeking out underneath it, as she listened to Penelope tell her about the two months she had been gone. "Hotch threw out the first twenty agents who applied for your spot on the team," Penelope told her when Emily asked if anyone had filled the vacancy. "But Agent Blake is starting while we're away," she said with a cringe. When Emily gave her a reproachful look, Penelope gave an ashamed shrug, offering a weak excuse, "I hate change."

Emily glanced worriedly in Morgan's direction. He knew she was silently asking if everything was okay with the techie. Morgan nodded that it was. They all missed her, but Penelope seemed to be taking it the hardest. Her rejection of the replacement before she even started showed just how hard it was on Penelope, she looked for the good in everyone, accepting them into her life quickly. Morgan knew the guilt of her reaction was weighing down on her.

"So what's your new job like?" Penelope asked. Morgan tried not to smile as he heard the veiled strain in her voice; she was looking for any reason to convince Emily to come home. He watched Emily roll her eyes at the question as she realised the same thing he did. He was glad that she was being good natured about the inquisition Penelope had launched at her; the thought of launching his own inquisition had crossed his mind more than once when he spoke to Emily on the phone.

"It's good," Emily started gently, shaking her head when Penelope scrunched her nose. "I never thought I would like a desk job." Morgan suppressed his laugh; she hated paperwork almost as much as he did. "But it's okay. The preparation for the games has kept us busy, so it hasn't felt like normal paperwork. I'm glad you guys are here to help though. Our tech guys are good, but not PG good."

Penelope tried to smile but ended up having to hide a yawn behind her hand. "I thought jet lag might be a problem, but I think after all the travelling today it'll be easy to get a good night's sleep before tomorrow's briefing," she glanced quickly between the other occupants of the room and Morgan almost didn't see it. He frowned but let it drop as she yawned again and stood. "I'm going to call it a night my Lovelies." Penelope bent to kiss Emily on the cheek before making her way over to Morgan. "Sweet dreams," she told him as he stood to receive his kiss on the cheek.

"You too Baby Girl."

"Night Pen," Emily called as she left the room. They listened as she made her way up the hallway, and entered the bathroom to brush her teeth. A few minutes later, she crossed the hallway to the guest room, the door shutting softly behind her.

Morgan looked between the sofa and the window seat. Emily still sat to one side her head leaning on the padded back, instead of moving to the middle. She looked peaceful as she gazed out of the window and Morgan felt bad about disturbing her, but he couldn't help it as he sat next to her. Her head shifted to look at him, but didn't rise from its' position.

"Hi," he said as he looked down at her. Morgan felt warmth spread through him when she smiled softly at him.

"Hi," Emily whispered.

Not for the first time Morgan regretted how they left things at the airport, wishing they hadn't been so self-preserving as to not lay claim on one another. He knew it had been the sensible thing to do. Morgan had wanted to ask her to stay, but didn't want to complicate things for her. He didn't want her to stay only to resent him in the future when she didn't feel better. Emily needed to decide on her own whether or not to come home.

"Is she okay?" Emily asked nodding in the direction of the bedrooms.

"She's fine, just finding it difficult to adjust," Morgan told her lightly. "Garcia misses you, we all do." He paused. "Are you happy here Emily?"

Emily turned onto her side, her body facing him. He could see her mind working as she figured out the best way to answer the question. "I am," she said eventually. Morgan fought the urge to back away. Emily read his discomfort and she hastened to add, "It doesn't mean that I don't miss home or the team, because I do every day. I'm happier because it's easier here, there's less pressure to feel better."

"I can understand that." And he did. When he had been accused of murder, he hated everyone knowing the team had been digging around in his past. The looks of sympathy and compassion he'd received from all of them made the situation worse. He'd put on a façade to make them think he was dealing with it, so the pity would end. Just like Emily had done.

The silence stretched between them as they listened to the bustling streets below, the excitement of the games was well under way. He lowered himself so he could rest his head next to hers, looking into her eyes. He was reminded of the first night they spent together, lying next to each other as they processed the new development in their relationship. Present day, Morgan felt the need to reach out to tuck the errant lock of hair behind her ear, but wasn't sure how she would react.

"Sometimes I feel like a coward," Emily whispered. Morgan furrowed his brow in confusion. "I know it must seem like I ran away."

Morgan shook his head. "You needed to do what you felt was the right thing to do. We understand that, our egos are a bit bruised because we didn't realise what you were going through before you told us you were leaving." This time he did reach out and push the strand of hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on her cheek. Emily accepted the contact, leaning into it. She opened and closed her mouth twice, second guessing what she wanted to say. "What?" He asked gently.

"I want you to know that I didn't run from you."

She was braver than he was as she broke the self-imposed limbo they'd placed themselves in. It had been a silent agreement not to discuss the two weeks before she left. He'd meant what he said in the airport. It was in his dark bedroom that he was assaulted by the memories; the way she sighed when he kissed her neck, the shiver that ran through her when he touch her hips, the way she moaned his name when she came undone in his arms.

"I wanted to ask you to stay," he told her sombrely, his fingers dropped from her face to the pendant.

Emily didn't back away like he expected her too. "I know, part of me wanted you too. Do you regret what happened between us?"

"No," Morgan admitted. While it may have been easier for them if they hadn't crossed the line from friends to lovers, Morgan knew he would have always regretted not knowing if anything happened to either one of them after she moved. "Do you?"

"No," she smiled sweetly at him. "I found it strange."

Morgan had to bite back his nervous laughter, slightly afraid what her explanation was, and worried he might have done something wrong. "Why?"

Emily's looked downwards, her soft chuckle sounding in his ears. "I think it's safe to say that neither of us has ever been in the type of relationship where we've been completely comfortable to wake up with another person in the morning," Emily paused for his nod of confirmation, continuing when he did. "What I found strange was that it didn't feel uncomfortable."

Morgan let out a sigh of relief. "I know what you mean." With all the years they'd been friends and the close confidence they'd always held, he'd thought the morning after might have been awkward. Instead, he found himself craving her company. His hand was still on the pendant, stroking it as he gazed at her. Her hand covered his hand gently, still his movement.

"Do you want to share with me, instead of sleeping on the sofa?" Emily offered softly.

Morgan paused. He'd barely thought of nothing else since he'd received the orders to come to England, wondering if he'd be able to let her go again. "Is that a good idea?"

"Probably not, but I've missed you," Emily admitted as she stood up from the window seat, stretching as she did so. She turned so she was facing him, her eyes inviting him to follow her as she walked away, leaving the decision up to him.

…..

Author Note 2 – should he follow her?


	4. Chapter 4

Distance – chapter four

He turned once again on the sofa, scrunching the pillow under his. It was comfortable enough, but not for the first time he wished he'd been sharing with Emily.

_He watched her walk backwards to the door, his eyes dropping briefly to the pendant around her neck as the light caught it. His gaze rose to her face and returned the half smile as she turned, walking away from him down the short passage to her bedroom. Morgan sat hunched over, his hands clasped as his elbows rested on his knees as watched until she disappeared out of view. _

_He had no idea how long he sat like that, deciding whether or not to go to her. She made it very clear that she wouldn't turn him away. It would make everything more complicated, Morgan decided as he scratched his head. But he'd missed waking up with her in the mornings. Despite their short time together, he'd gotten used to sleeping next to her. The image of her snuggling into his chest when the alarm went off, sleepily asking for five more minute as she wound her leg around his calf, would be forever etched into his memory. _

_Resolutely Morgan stood and shut the window before taking the glasses into the kitchen. He would have to be quiet; he wasn't sure how thick the walls were. The chances of Emily telling Penelope about the developments in their relationship and the blonde not saying anything to him were slim. The blonde knowing would bring up a whole load of questions that Morgan had no idea how to answer, let alone face._

_He did a quick check of the living room as he walked to the hallway, turning the light off as he did so. Morgan walked along the corridor, pausing as he reached Emily's room. He could see light creeping out from under the door and hear her shuffling around inside. He raised his hand to the door knob, and was about to turn it when Penelope's door opened._

_Morgan looked up quickly, frozen to the spot as he turned to face the blonde as she exited her room. For a moment the blonde blinked in surprise before a look of confusion dawned on her face. _

"_Hey Hot Stuff, what are you up to?" She asked with a twinkle in her eye as she looked pointedly at his hand, which was still gripping the handle._

_Morgan tried to think of an answer. He realised he was taking too long to answer her when her eye brow raised and she began to smirk. His hand dropped from the handle. "Um, I uh can't sleep," he gestured to the door. "I was going to ask Emily if she had a book I could borrow."_

_The blonde looked way too happy with his answer, and he wondered exactly what the blonde knew or thought she knew. "Okay, I'm going to use the bathroom." Morgan started walking in the direction of the living room as she stepped up to the door, pausing before she pushed it open. "Aren't you going to ask for a book?"_

He'd made some excuse about looking for something to read in the living room and retreated quickly back down the hallway as she smirked at him. Morgan began set up the sofa, putting the sheets on that Emily had given him earlier.

That had been over an hour ago. Morgan rolled over onto his back again, glaring at the ceiling again.

…

_Emily stopped rummaging through her drawer when she heard his soft footsteps approach her door. She perched on the edge of her bed, her heartbeat quickening as she waited. Her eyes dropped to the handle as it moved slightly. She heard it start to creek open, but when it didn't move she realised it wasn't her door opening. _

_She quietly padded to the door, placing her ear on the wood she listened to the muffled voices of Penelope and Morgan. Her teeth pulled her lower lip between them as she heard him mention borrowing a book. She could hear Penelope's smirk through the door and tried not to laugh at her friends' reaction. Emily released a sigh of disappointment as Morgan walked back to the living room and Penelope went into the bathroom before returning to her room. _

Emily turned again, trying to get comfortable. She hadn't intended to invite him into her bed. But their conversation emphasised how much she had missed him. There had been very few people that Emily had ever been able to be completely open with. There had always been people in her life who expected certain things from her; whether it to be the charming six year old girl who had to smile and be cute during her mother's functions, or a rebellious teenager when she had been told to attend her own prom, or the agent who would do whatever was needed to be done no matter the fall out, emotional or physical. Morgan never expected anything other than who she really was.

For a while Emily had hoped Morgan would come to her. Maybe it was a good thing that he hadn't. Maybe it was better for things to stay as they were. The two weeks they'd spent together were amazing, and Emily didn't want anything to mar those memories. She didn't want him to put his life on hold to wait for her. It wouldn't be fair to him. She wanted him in her life. She wasn't sure if she could risk his friendship if they started a long distance relationship and it ended badly.

….

Penelope hummed to herself softly as she made the finishing touches to her make up. She had been the first to wake up and use the shower. After returning to her room she'd heard Morgan walking around, using the shower and returning to the living room. A few minutes later Emily's door opened as she emerged from her bedroom to use the bathroom.

Placing the brush in her make up case, Penelope did a final check of her outfit in the mirror, mentally preparing herself for the briefing as well as facing her friends. Momentarily she damned her bladder for choosing such a time to make itself known. Encountering Morgan in the hallway had been enlightening. Even she could tell he had been lying about borrowing a book, he looked like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Normally she would have called him, them, on it. She desperately wanted know what was going on with them, but it was obvious this was a new development and they were getting used to whatever it was.

Penelope had never seen Morgan pine over anything, but she realised that was what he had been doing after Emily left DC. She often wondered about that day in the conference room when Emily told them she was leaving. Knowing that it was an emotional time for everyone, Penelope ignored her innate inquisitiveness, nosiness to others, and not asked them about it, thinking it was something they needed to do, to explore on their own in their own time. Apparently the fledgling relationship needed help to flourish, and she would help them however she could even if it meant leaving them to it. She just hoped into wouldn't end with their hearts breaking.

Taking one last glance at her reflection, Penelope nodded her approval before making her way to greet the others. As she left her room, she heard their quiet voices in the kitchen and the smell of coffee brewing. The sight that met her when she turned the corner warmed her heart.

Emily was leaning against the counter, looking quite playful as she held her cup out to Morgan. His responding look of disgust made Penelope pause to see the scene play out, her observation unnoticed as they hadn't seen her yet. Morgan's deep laughed echoed in the apartment as he shook his head, stepping back from Emily as she followed, her cup offered to him as she teased, "Come on, you won't know till you try it."

Morgan shook his head quicker, stepping back another step. "I don't have to try it to know I won't like it Princess. When did you become a fan of tea anyway?"

"It helps with coffee withdrawal," Emily explained as she brought the cup to her lips to take a sip, her eyes not moving from Morgan.

"Well I'll stick with coffee thanks." He tipped his cup in her direction before taking a swig.

Penelope's eyebrow flickered at the scene, amused that whatever plans she had inadvertently thwarted hadn't affected the way the responded to one another. She stepped forward to make her presence known. "Good morning crime fighters," she said as they turned to acknowledge her.

"Hey Baby Girl, sleep okay?"

"I did," she replied with a nod. She couldn't help adding, "How was the pull out?"

Morgan raised his eye brows in surprise at the question before the suspicion set in his eyes. Penelope kept her eyes wide, trying to convey innocence. "It wasn't too bad," he conceded after a moment.

"Morning Pen, do you want tea or coffee?" Emily asked, throwing a sideways glance in Morgan's direction. Morgan's aversion showed on his face as he drank from his cup. Penelope leaned over as Emily held her cup out for her to smell.

"That smells good." Emily smirked triumphantly in Morgan's direction as she began to prepare Penelope's tea. They ate a quick breakfast before travelling to the Olympic park. Morgan left for his briefing, leaving Emily and Penelope to go to theirs.

Everyone was bustling around. Workmen were busy doing the last minute checks; there were various groups of staff going through some instruction workshops and being shown around the grounds. As they made their way through the crowds, Penelope snuck a peek at Emily. She had her phone in hand as she answered a message.

"I'm sorry," Penelope said. Emily turned to her in confusion, so she elaborated, "For being so pushy last night."

"It's okay Pen," Emily assured her with a smile. "I know that you want what's best for me. I'm grateful that I have people in my life who care about me enough to question me about my choices."

Penelope kept her silence for a moment, wondering whether to broach the subject of her friend's relationship. Taking Emily's answer as a sign that it was okay to talk to her about it, she continued. "I'm also sorry for interrupting whatever was going on with you and Morgan last night," she said quickly before she lost her nerve.

Author Note – Am I evil? Well, it couldn't have been that easy, could it? But thank you for an amazing response to the last chapter, and in my defence Morgan did follow her. He just didn't make it to her bedroom. I loved reading all of your reviews. If you have a few moments, I would love to know what you thought of this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Distance – chapter five

Her phone clattered to the floor as she stumbled. Emily managed to correct her footing before she embarrassed herself further and picked the phone up, checking it for damage before finally looking up at Penelope. The blonde was looking at her with a mixture of remorse and sadness. Emily held her gaze, momentarily wondering if she should try to deny that anything was going on with Morgan. The incident last night made it clear Penelope already had some suspicions.

Emily sighed as she fell into step beside her as they continued to their briefing. "I have no idea what you interrupted," Emily told her quietly as they approach the security room for the CCTV operators.

"Sweetie, I'm pretty sure we all know what I interrupted," Penelope's sent her amused look, a wicked gleam in her eyes. Emily felt the flush crawling up her neck as she nodded uncomfortably.

"What I mean is I'm not sure what is going on with me and Morgan," Emily explained as they walked past the windows. Keeping her pace, Emily almost failed to notice that Penelope had paused at the window; her mouth agape as she stared threw the glass. Emily returned to her side, trying to understand what the techie saw. "It's impressive, isn't it?"

"It's computer geek paradise," Penelope said in awe, her hand lifted to stroke the glass lightly. "The view from your apartment is incredible, but to me this is heaven. Do you think Hotch will sign off on the requisition of that monitor?" Emily followed her finger as she pointed at the giant screen at the front of the room, laughing when she realised what she was talking about.

"I don't think so Pen," she shook her head. "Look, I know that you probably want to know all the details. But I'm, we're trying to figure out…" Emily paused as Penelope laid a hand on her arm.

"I should be furious that you kept secrets about that god among men," Emily rolled her eyes at her friend. "But I understand why you did," Penelope added gently. "I'm here to listen, whenever you need to talk."

Emily smiled gratefully at the blonde. "Thank you." She glanced back through the glass to see the team of technicians beginning to assemble. "We need to join them for the briefing. Rain check?"

Penelope nodded as she trailed behind as Emily found the entrance to the security, both of them showing the passes they had been given. The briefing went smoothly and they were given a tour of the grounds, both physical and threw the camera lenses.

It was late evening before all of the orientation was complete and they returned to Emily's apartment, tired from all of the information they had to digest. Emily yawned as she opened her fridge to see what to make for dinner. "Why don't we order in?" She called to the others as they sat in living room.

She caught Morgan's eye as he smirked at her over his shoulder. He often teased her about her skills in the kitchen. Her cooking abilities weren't awful; she just didn't have the patience or the time to cook especially with the long hours that came with the job. And today she was just too tired to attempt anything other than picking up the phone.

Emily was still looking into the fridge for something to drink when Morgan came up behind her. She tensed lightly when his hands rested lightly on her hips, his chest close to her back as his head poked over her shoulder to look at the contents of the fridge. Emily felt the warmth spreading upwards from her lower back. She spared a glance at Penelope, but she had disappeared from the living room. She exhaled lightly as she relaxed backwards, leaning into his all too familiar touch. "What do you want?" Emily asked quietly. Her head turned when she felt him stand up a bit straighter, but he didn't release her. His eyes were focused on her face. Her eyes widened a little and she hastened to add, "To drink. What do you want to drink?"

He visibly relaxed as he turned his gaze back to the fridge. "Juice," he said his voice hoarse.

She pulled the carton from the fridge while he grabbed them some glasses. Emily concentrated on pouring the drinks as she fought to control her emotions. They hadn't seen each other all day, hadn't had a chance to talk. She hadn't been able to tell him that Penelope had figured them out. "Where's Pen?"

"Uh she said something about ringing Kevin," Morgan muttered gruffly. Emily smiled at the protectiveness in Morgan's voice. "What?" He asked.

"She's a big girl," Emily reminded him gently.

"I just don't want him to mess her about," Morgan defended.

"Sometimes it's hard to let go of those we love," Emily said. She regretted saying it but she returned his intense gaze, not wanting to back down. His eyes softened and his posture slumped after a moment. "Pen apologised about interrupting last night."

"She knows?"

"I think she may have known something for a while." Penelope had kept her promise of not pressing for details, but Emily did like that someone knew about the developments between herself and Morgan.

"Really?" Emily nodded once. Morgan processed that information, a contemplative smile crossing his lips. "That explains a few things."

Emily raised her eyebrow but didn't have time to question him as Penelope breezed into the room. "That is one former paramour who is suitably envious of the technical wonders I experienced today," she said brightly.

"You said the Chinese place on the corner was good, right?" Morgan asked Emily.

"Yeah, it's pretty good. Why?"

"I'll go get dinner instead of ordering in," Morgan offered and Emily felt awful for making them both feel uncomfortable.

"You sure?"

He obviously heard the uncertainty in her voice and gave her a reassuring smile that didn't make her feel better. "Yeah. Chinese okay with you Baby Girl?" He asked Penelope.

"Sounds good."

"Okay I'll see you guys soon." With that he grabbed his jacket as Emily threw him her keys before leaving the two women alone, watching him as he went.

"Is everything okay?" Penelope aske as they heard the door shut.

"I don't know," Emily told her as her focus was still on the direction Morgan went in. "What do you want to drink?"

"I'll make myself some tea, go sit down. Your day has been as long as mine." They passed in the entrance and Emily made her way to the window seat as she gazed out over London. She was lost in a daze when she felt the padded seat dip beside her as Penelope sat next to her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The blonde asked.

"How long have you known?" Emily asked softly as she kept her eyes on the view.

"Since you told us you were leaving," Penelope told her gently. "That day in the conference room was odd. He already knew you were leaving, he wasn't happy at all but he was determined to support you. We all hugged you except Morgan. I hung around in the bullpen and saw him kiss your forehead." Emily remembered the tingling sensation as his lips pressed against her skin, the unfamiliar action fast becoming a comforting gesture. "I felt guilty that none of us realised how you were feeling and when I tried to remember if I may have noticed something and not registered it, I realised some things." Emily turned her head to look at Penelope expectantly, but remained silent. The blonde took the hint and elaborated. "You haven't flirted with Morgan since you've been back."

Emily let out a small chuckle at the point Penelope picked out. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything," Penelope said. "You're just as close, don't get me wrong. But it's more intense, more serious and less playful. Thinking back over the past year made me realise that whatever was going on between you and Morgan had been a long time coming."

Emily swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, but she couldn't deny her friends' words. "Nothing happened till after the wedding," Emily explained. Emily could see the sympathy and questions in Penelope's eyes as she tilted her head to the side, but to her friends credit she didn't push for details like she'd promised. Emily was surprised Penelope had been able to control her curiosity this long, especially if she suspected months ago.

"It really was new," Penelope commented. "What happened in the few minutes I was on the phone with Kevin?"

"I made a comment about it being hard to let go of those you love. I think we both made the comparison, and neither of us liked it."

"Do you want to let him go?" Penelope asked.

"I have been asking myself that since I came here," Emily answered. "It was only two weeks, how can I ask him to put his life on hold for such a short amount of time? It wouldn't be fair to him."

"Two weeks?" Penelope questioned. From her tone, Emily could tell she expected their relationship to have lasted longer. "Indulge me a little, but how was it?"

The question lifted Emily's mood a little as she thought back to the short time they had together. A tiny smile fluttered across her lips as she answered. "Amazing."

Penelope lit up and Emily expected her to squeal, but it never came. "How could it not be?" the techie said instead.

Emily ducked her head as she felt the heat enter her cheeks. She took a sip of her drink, absently wondering when Morgan would return. "But we both agreed that's all it would be."

"Why does it have to be like that? You could try long distance," Penelope suggested.

"Because it's not a fairy tale," Emily replied. "I care about Morgan more than I have any of my previous lovers. There's a history between us which goes deeper than just the physical. Part of me thinks we only acted on our attraction because I was leaving."

Penelope's eyes clouded with sorrow as she laid a comforting hand on Emily's arm. "So you wouldn't have any regrets." Emily nodded sadly. "What about last night?"

"I realised how much I've missed him." She could see the clogs moving in Penelope's mind when she quirked an eyebrow at her. "Not just the sex, I missed sharing my life with someone who knows me so well."

"If you feel that way, then why are you insisting it wouldn't work?"

"Because I don't want him to end up resenting I'm four thousand miles away. He deserves so much more than that."

Author Note – Thank you so much for your comments, I loved reading all of them. I'm in two minds on how this ends at the moment, and whether or not to keep it true to the series. Anyway I would love to know what you think, so if you have the time please let me know.


	6. Chapter 6

Author Note – I wasn't sure what Morgan was doing during the games, so I re-watched that opening from season eight (lucky me, I love that little scene) and they called it temporary duty, they didn't elaborate any further. I decided to link it with his history with the bomb squad. I hope you enjoy the chapter; your reviews have been so encouraging and inspiring. Now that I have written this chapter, I'm much happier about the direction of the story. If you have the time, I would love to know what you think.

Distance – chapter six

The old lady behind the counter was pleasant enough at the late hour, he was the only customer and she talked animatedly while they waited for his order to be prepared in the kitchen

"You just move here?" She asked, her thick accent coming through.

"I'm just visiting a friend," Morgan smiled as he leant against the counter.

The wise old woman smirked knowingly. "She's a lucky friend."

"I think I'm the lucky one," Morgan replied when the service hutch between the counter and the kitchen opened and the order was passed through. Morgan hummed softly as he waited for the order to be bagged. Morgan sent the old woman his charm smile as he took the bag from her when she offered it. "Thanks."

"Have a good evening," she called after him as he left the shop.

Morgan walked swiftly along the road to Emily's building; the temperature had cooled slightly after the hot day. It was a nice area just outside of the city centre, and he knew why Emily liked it. There was a peaceful calming effect, but you could still hear the excited flurry of the city nearby. It reminded him a lot of DC. Turning into the building, Morgan used the keys that Emily gave him to open the front door.

He took the stairs two at a time. If he had been with either of the women, he may have taken the elevator. But the distant memories of getting stuck in a similar elevator with Reid meant he would be avoiding it when he was by himself. Not that his temporary roommates would ever find out that titbit of information.

Working with the predominantly British bomb squad today had been fun and a nice change of pace from the BAU. He was looking forward to the coming hectic weeks, coming home to Emily and spending the evening with her and Penelope.

When they'd returned to the apartment he realised he'd gotten caught up in the well-guarded fantasy of the prospect of a proper home life, one where his phone wouldn't interrupt important moments.

He'd offered to get the food because he needed time to think. Last night he'd been quite hopeful of continuing what they'd started, and this morning she hadn't treated him any differently because they weren't able to spend the night together. But when they'd returned to the apartment Morgan sensed Emily's reluctance, and he found the possibility of rejection too much to accept.

Sliding the front door key into the slot Morgan turned it to hear the tail end of the women's quiet conversation. "Because I don't want him to end up resenting I'm four thousand miles away. He deserves so much more than that," he heard Emily say.

Morgan allowed the door to shut as softly as he could as he sighed. The quiver in her voice cut threw him as he leant gently against the door. He understood she was trying to protect both of them. And he hated it.

"Emily, you both deserve to be happy. If he makes you happy, give it a chance, because at the moment you're both miserable." He smiled when he heard Penelope fighting their corner against Emily's tried and tested method of self-preservation.

Morgan took Emily's lack of response as a cue to interrupt with the food. He registered their surprise when he entered the room but he didn't comment on the water welling in Emily's eyes when she hastily wiped them. Now wasn't the time for them to talk, neither of them knew what they wanted. And anymore misunderstandings would complicate things, and may end up driving a wedge between him and Emily. Putting the bag on the counter he started taking out the contents. Morgan felt Emily brush past him to get the plates and cutlery.

"Okay, for my Baby Girl I have kung pao chicken," Morgan pushed the container in her direction.

"Thank you," Penelope told him as she opened it.

"Emily you never told how talkative the old lady was," Morgan commented as she peered over his shoulder in to the bag. His eyes connected with hers briefly as he pulled the next container from the bag.

"I thought you would be able to handle it," she said with a small smile as she picked up her container of crispy chilli beef. "She's nice though, isn't she?"

"Yeah," Morgan said as he took his own sweet and sour pork out of the bag as well as the rice and the prawn crackers. He took his place in between the women around the table. "So how was the camera suite?"

Penelope let out a noise which sounded half way between the moan and a sigh, her eyes lighting up with delight. "It was unbelievable," she told him. "The equipment is second to none. Kevin is very jealous that I get to use that system."

Morgan was grateful of the distraction as Penelope described some of the camera angles that she had been surprised about. "Now, you're not here to ogle athletes Baby Girl," he said jokingly.

"Ah, but a girl can dream," she told him wistfully.

Emily laughed gently at her enthusiasm. "I may just be an advisor to the technical staff and I don't understand the terminology, but I have to say some of the angles are remarkable." Morgan's eyes connected with hers. "How was it working with your team? Did you like it?"

"I never thought temporary duty would be that full on. But the bomb squad your office put together is a good team."

Emily nodded, unable to speak because she was chewing a mouthful of her food. Finally swallowing it, she answered him. "The team leader, Anderson, is retiring after the games, and Easter is looking for someone to replace him."

Morgan digested the information; he'd heard some rumours earlier from some of the team. "He's a good guy, they'll miss him."

"I hope his replacement is half as good," Emily said as she pushed her plate away.

"Easter isn't looking to promote within the team?" Morgan questioned and Emily shook her head.

"No, he wants someone new. The team are great, but he's not sure any of them are ready to lead it yet."

Morgan fought the frown he felt forming at the mention of the other Interpol agent. He didn't like the guy but Easter had made a point of welcoming him during the briefing earlier. Morgan intended to avoid him during the visit, but that looked unlikely as he was quite involved with the bomb squad.

Morgan shook his head when he saw Emily's look of concern directed at him. The years of silent communication was still ingrained in them after months of not working together. Emily raised her eyebrow to question his negative answer, and his lips quirked to half a smile. She knew him so well, understood him. Morgan watched her eyes brighten at the smile and while she didn't return the gesture, she seemed livelier than she had been when he first returned to the apartment.

Penelope stretched as she pushed her own plate away. "If you guys don't mind I'm going to use the shower and then turn in. I suspect rest will be a rare luxury over the next few weeks." She picked up the empty plates and took them to the kitchen, putting them in the dishwasher. "Sweet dreams," she called over her shoulder, walking away from their chorus of "goodnight".

Morgan watched her go for a moment, wondering if she had an ulterior motive in going to bed early. "You think that's just a coincidence?" Morgan asked lightly, nodding in the direction of the hallway.

Emily turned her head to follow his gaze. "Probably not," she said turning back to him. He saw her take a deep breath, knowing she was gathering courage. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He leant towards the table, towards her, resting his elbows on the surface as hands met in an apex in front of his face. His long fingers intertwining nervously as he thought, wondering if they were ready for this conversation.

"I've been thinking about what I want for a long time Emily," he told her gruffly. There was a flash of hesitation in her eyes, but she didn't look away. "I have done everything that you asked. I didn't ask you to stay in DC, even though both of us wanted me to. I left our relationship where you asked me to leave it. You're not the one who has to sleep in the bedroom where we were together." Morgan reached across the table to her, touching her hand. "I don't blame you, Emily. This is unfamiliar territory for both of us and I know that you're scared."

"You heard what I said to Pen, didn't you?"

"Just the last bit," Morgan admitted. "Em, we both understand the job. I could never resent you for doing something that you need to do." He gestured between them. "But our future is just that, ours. We both need to decide what to do with it. And we need to stop hiding from each other to make those decisions."

Her teeth worried her lower lip. "What do you want Morgan?"

"I want to give this a try. I want to see you smile. I want hear you laugh-"

"What about when you go back to DC and the four thousand miles in the middle?" Emily asked cutting him off.

"It's three thousand, six hundred and seventy," he laughed when her eyebrow rose. "Sometimes Reid's statistics come in handy. Beside we have the Queen of Computers in the other room, who will be annoyed that you've forgotten about her favourite way of communicating; Skype." Emily stared at him for a long while, trepidation evident in her posture. "What are you scared of Emily?"

"Losing you, making the wrong decision," she responded immediately, her fingers drumming on the table top nervously. "Aren't you scared?"

"Terrified," he told her. "But sometimes that's a good thing. If it wasn't worth it, if it didn't mean anything, we wouldn't be scared."

"And what if it doesn't work out?"

"I don't want either of us to feel pressured with this; I want us to be honest with each other. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't mean we can't still be friends. I think we're stronger than that. So I need to know one thing Emily," he locked gazes with her. "Do we want the same thing?"

Emily cleared her throat, dropping her eyes to their fingers almost touching. Morgan waited with baited breath as she made her decision. He felt her nails twitch against his skin. It was the barely audible "yes" that caused him to close the gap between their fingers and hold her hand reassuringly. "I'm still scared," Emily confessed her voice stronger, more confident as she leant into his body. Her lips twisted into a tiny smile. "But it's a good thing, right?"

Morgan returned the smile, moving his head closer to hers, watching intently as her tongue slipped out to moisten her lip. "It's a very good thing," he told her as he tilted his head to the side. Her eyes dropped to his lips while her body moved forward. Morgan could feel her breath on his lips as their noses brushed. "Very good thing," he murmured as their lips met gently.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note – thank you all so much for such an astounding response to the last chapter. I had wanted to get this up before I returned to work from holiday, but I was ill over the weekend and then my dog was ill (it's very scary, lots of vomit could have been worse, but she's on the mend now). I'm not sure how long the story is going to be, I had expected it to be a short one I would be able to finish before I move but I'm having too much fun writing it. I love reading your reviews, so if you have the time please let me know your thoughts and comments.

Distance – chapter seven

Emily murmured sleepily when she felt the soft touch of his fingertips sweeping side to side in the small of her back, just above her underwear. Not wanting to acknowledge the morning just yet, she snuggled further into the warm, muscular chest she had been using as a pillow, winding her leg tightly around his. Her hair fell about her face, serving as a curtain against the sunlight that filtered through the blinds.

The hand became more persistent as it changed direction and began to travel up her back. It traced her vertebrae, making her squirm when it found her ticklish spot. She fought her giggle, burying her face into his chest. "That's not fair," she mumbled into his flesh as she surrendered to the sensation. Her hand that had been secured in his other one was released when he reached up to push her hair away from her face. Emily squinted against the assaulting light as it hit her, the body underneath her shook as he laughed deeply.

"The sun comes up early here Princess," Morgan told her sleepily.

One eye popped open as she lifted up to look at the alarm clock; five in the morning. Emily groaned, making him laugh again. She flopped back down on him gently. "We have to get up," she said grumpily.

"Well, for me to get up the woman on top of me needs to as well." Emily propped her chin on his chest and gave him an unimpressed look. "You're really not a morning person, are you?"

Her knees came to rest on either side of his hips, bracing her weight on the mattress she pushed up, her look turning seductive as she shuffled up his body, the quilt slipping to her waist. Morgan raised his chin, meeting her silent challenge. She wasn't sure what warmed her most, the sun on her back or his gaze as it drifted over her. Undeterred from her goal, Emily leaned her face close to his, their lips almost touching as she spoke. "Let me wake up in my own time and I'll show you how much of a morning person I can be," she kissed him sweetly, hardly able to suppress her own sigh when she felt him moan into her mouth as she pulled away. "But Buddy if you interrupt my sleep, you won't be so lucky." With that she lifted off of him and the bed, smirking over her shoulder at him when she heard his frustrated growl.

"Damn woman," he muttered rolling to a sitting position as he made a grab for her. He pulled her to stand in between his legs as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Morning," Morgan said, looking up at her.

"Morning," her hands braced themselves on his shoulders. She bent down to kiss him again, this time she grumbled when they heard Penelope's alarm clock through the wall. "We need to get ready," Emily told him, pulling out of his embrace. She grabbed the extra-large shirt she usually wore to bed from the chair, slipping her arms through the sleeves before picking up her robe which had been discarded over a nearby chair, pulling the garment over her arms and securing the tie at her waist.

Casting a glance over her shoulder at Morgan to check he had put his sweats on, Emily pulled open the door. Down the hallway the guest room opened as well and Emily sent a sleepy smile at the bleary eyed Penelope. "Morning Pen," she said. "How'd you sleep?"

Penelope looked up at her, a small smirk on her lips as she peered over the top of her glasses. "Well enough my Pretty," the blonde smiled.

They walked into the kitchen, neither looking back as they heard Morgan emerge from Emily's room and disappear into the bathroom. Penelope started on the drinks as Emily sorted their breakfast.

"I love this tea, it's so refreshing. I need to get some to take back to DC," Penelope said as she put the teabags in the cups, coffee in Morgan's.

Emily fought against the surge of uneasiness that was trying to overcome her. Like Morgan had reminded her, they would still talk over the phone, through Skype. The prospect of repeatedly saying goodbye and endless meetings and departures at airports was weighing her down and they hadn't even begun that stage of their relationship. But she was willing to try for him, for them.

"Maybe I can start tea of the month," Penelope said as she got rid of the teabags, jolting Emily from her sombre thoughts.

"Huh?" Emily asked as she accepted the cup Penelope offered her.

"I'm going to start tea of the month when I go back," Penelope explained. Emily saw the blonde pause as she brought her cup to her lips. Realisation hit her and her eyes flashed worriedly to Emily's face. "Sorry," she apologised.

"It's okay," Emily waved off her concern. "Just reality catching up."

Penelope's lips pursed together as she looked back at Emily sympathetically. "Do you want me to stay somewhere else for a few nights? So you can have some time to yourselves?"

"No, Pen. Thank you for the offer, but it's okay," Emily took their plates and cereal over to the table. "If we're going to work long distance, we need to get used to it."

Besides, she liked Penelope's company while she and Morgan had been getting used to each other again. It made the whole thing valid, comforting Emily's fears. Unlike many ladies' nights, Penelope's calm acceptance of their relationship was refreshing. There was part of her expected Penelope to get over excited and want to know all the details. And if she was honest with herself it was because Emily wanted to share them with someone other than Morgan, indulging an almost dormant part of her because she'd never been close to many women, and the ones she had known she never felt like she could open up and reveal her insecurities to them. Not like Penelope and JJ. They were a brilliant combination of exuberance and calming reassurance.

"The offer's there if you want it," Penelope said as she poured some cereal. "I'm glad that we're going to have some time to explore the rest of the city before we go.

"Oh, there's a shop you'll love, it's full of science fiction and cult film memorabilia. I found it when I was exploring the city."

Pen's eye lit up. "Ooh, I forgot about shopping."

"Not with me in tow Baby Girl," Morgan said as he entered the living room. He grabbed his coffee and took his seat between the women.

Emily looked between them when they shared a mock glare which morphed into a cheeky smile from the blonde before picking up her plate to put in the kitchen. "I'm going to get ready, because we need to leave soon for preliminary checks before the opening ceremony."

Penelope nodded her acknowledgement, finishing her drink and glancing in Morgan's direction. Emily's eyebrow twitched, but she didn't respond when she realised Penelope was waiting for her to leave to talk to Morgan. Not wanting to interfere on their private conversation Emily left the room, but Penelope's first words made her pause just inside the hallway.

"You make her happy," Penelope said quietly, obviously mindful that Emily could still be nearby. Emily's tried to fight the flutter in her stomach at the sound of Morgan's agreeing.

"She makes me happy. I had no idea it would be like this with her." Morgan laughed and Emily fought the urge to peak around the door frame when she realised Penelope would have shot him a curious look. In her mind Emily could imagine the tilt of her head, one eye brow quirked as she peered over the rim of her glasses. "That brilliantly twisted mind of yours does not need to know those kinds of details."

Penelope gave a short laugh as she responded. "I don't want details from you, that's what ladies nights and a few good bottles of wine are for." Emily bit her lip as she leant her head back on the wall. Penelope's voice was softer as she continued. "You said you had no idea it would be this way, but you thought about it before, right?"

Emily held her breath as she waited for Morgan's answer. "Yeah," he sounded surprised when he spoke. "Not in a pervy kind of way. It was curiosity at first, but it got stronger over the years." Emily closed her eyes as she sighed; relieved she hadn't been the only one who had those thoughts. "It kind of hit me when she was gone, made me realise it had been more than curiosity." Emily felt her eyes prickling when she heard the turmoil in his voice.

"Why didn't you say something?"

"I'd been thinking about talking to Emily for a while, I just never had enough courage to do it. When she told me that she was moving to London, I couldn't let her go without her knowing."

Emily swallowed the lump in her throat. She felt guilty for listening in on their conversation, guilty for intruding on his privacy. But the heaviness around her heart lifted somewhat at the revelations. Opening her eyes, she glanced at her watch. She needed to hurry. As quickly and quietly as she could she padded down the hallway to the bathroom.

….

A few hours later Emily was in the camera suite overseeing the preparations the technical team were going through before the opening ceremony. She heard a giggle coming from one of the terminals and looked over to find Penelope and her assistant Amy leaning conspiratorially into one another over a screen. Amy had been a good friend to her since arriving, showing her around the city and making her feel welcome.

"Now who is that? I saw him at the orientation the other day," Amy's voice drifted out from their huddle as Emily made her way over to them to see what had their rapt attention.

"Oh, that is a god among men," Penelope replied reaching one hand out to caress the screen lightly. Emily smile as she realised they must be watching Morgan on the monitor.

"We're being productive, aren't we?" Emily asked as she gently touched Penelope's shoulder. The women turned to look at her, both knowing they weren't really in trouble.

"We are. We're watching the bomb squad taking the dogs through the seating," Amy said gesturing to the screen. "We're admiring the view while we're at it."

Penelope snickered. "Ah, my newly beloved English rose we can look but not touch. Derek Morgan has eyes for one woman only."

"Darn," Amy muttered. "The good ones are all taken." Penelope smirked. Emily concentrated on the screen, but out of the corner of her eye she could see Penelope subtly nod in her direction. Amy's responding laugh let her know she'd understood. "You're so lucky."

Emily blushed lightly under the scrutiny of the other women. "Maybe not for long," she said as she watched the screen. Morgan was doing his walk through. He'd shed his jacket and was visually checking the seats after the dogs passed them. Behind him, Emily could see Easter approaching. She saw Morgan stand to acknowledge him. Her interest piqued as the men began to talk.

Author Note two – I know, another cliff hanger. But I wanted to get this chapter out as it's been a while since the last update.


	8. Chapter 8

Distance – chapter eight

Morgan was on the last section of the search as he swept his gaze under the seats of the stadium; the dog and its handler were slightly ahead of him. He heard the footsteps approach from behind. As he checked the next seat, he glanced over his shoulder, instantly regretting it when he saw Clyde Easter approaching. Turning his head away, he wondered whether or not to pretend not to have seen him, instantly dismissing that course of action; there would be no avoiding Easter while he was in London. Morgan sighed as he stood to face him.

Easter acknowledged Morgan waiting for him with a nod as he caught up to him. "Morning Morgan, how's it going?"

"It's okay, need to get these checks done soon," Morgan gestured towards the other teams who were getting further away.

Easter gave a quick nod and he fell into step behind Morgan as they checked the row of seats. Morgan's suspicions flew through his mind as he waited for the Interpol agent to say whatever he had sought him out to say. Easter wanted something, and Morgan was on edge. The last time he wanted something Emily moved to London.

"So, are you enjoying your stay in London?" The Englishman asked.

There was a lilt in Easter's voice, and Morgan couldn't tell whether or not he was implying anything. He had no idea what kind of relationship Emily had with Easter, but they had been a part of the same team for years. "It's good," Morgan told him, wearily.

"Are you enjoying the assignment?"

Morgan frowned as he continued with his task. "It's a change," he said gruffly, turning to face him as they reached the next aisle. "What do you want Easter? Because you didn't come down here to make small talk with me."

Easter stopped a short distance away, nodding as he conceded Morgan's point. "Straight to the point, that's what I like about you Morgan."

Morgan felt like he was in a stand-off as he stared back at Easter, neither of them used to backing down. After a long moment, he saw Easter relax, sighing as he relented. Morgan relaxed in response, but he was getting impatient as he waited to hear whatever Easter had to say.

"I have an offer for you," Easter told him. Morgan's brow furrowed and his wariness must have shown as he looked at Easter, waiting for him to elaborate. "Anderson is retiring after the Olympics, and I want to offer you the job."

Morgan blinked as he tried to comprehend what Easter had just said. "Why?"

"Because you impressed me when you tracked down Doyle," Easter told him. "What I found more impressive was you never put a bullet between his eyes when you had the chance. A lot of other people would have made the shot despite the fact his son was missing."

Morgan released a frustrated breath. "Emily went through a lot to protect Declan. It would have devastated her if he had died."

Easter nodded. "You've got sight of the bigger picture, and I want someone like that in charge of this unit."

"But we don't like each other," Morgan replied.

A big laugh erupted from Easter. "I offer you a job, and you tell me we don't like each other?" He questioned rhetorically. "I know that you're not keen on the way I behaved during the Doyle situation, or that I asked Emily to come back to Interpol. But I don't want a 'yes' man, I want someone who is going to be honest about the situation and tell me the truth when they disagree with me. I don't think that'll be problem for you." Easter smirked at his own at attempt to defuse the tension. "Hell, that's the reason I asked Emily to run the London office."

Morgan frowned at the mention of Emily. "Does Emily know that you're offering the job?"

Still smiling at Morgan, Easter shook his head. "No she doesn't know, but I can't see it being a problem for her." Easter sighed. "Look, I know this is a big decision to make, uprooting yourself to a new country, moving away from your family and friends. I've read your file, you've excelled in your position and impressed many people, myself included. You're a great agent, excellent profiler, and I know Emily thinks highly of you. She would love to have you here," Easter paused, shooting Morgan a meaningful look. "I'm just asking you to think about it while you're here, and let me know either way before you go back to the States. I'm not going to start looking for someone else till you tell me no."

Morgan had to admit it was a good offer, and he'd been looking forward to leading his own team for a while. He thought he would've been doing it at the BAU. He liked working for Hotch and with the team but it wasn't the same without Emily. And Emily was another factor in his decision. It would make it easier for them to be together, but it was too early for them to make a huge decision. Morgan realised Easter was still looking at him expectantly. "I'll think about it," he agreed.

Easter looked smug as he nodded. "Good. London does have a certain appeal to it, doesn't it? What with Emily being here and all." Morgan lifted an eyebrow in surprise as the Interpol agent started up the stairs, leaving Morgan where he was. Morgan watched him as he stopped a few steps above him and turned to look back over his shoulder. "Oh and Morgan," he called. "Just so you know, if you break her heart, I won't hesitate to take the shot."

Easter's face was serious as he waited for Morgan's acknowledgement of the threat. Morgan nodded in understanding and Easter turned swiftly and quickly ascended the stairs, leaving Morgan with his thoughts.

Slowly walking up the stairs, Morgan had no idea what he was going to do. His mother would be upset, but he knew she would understand when he explained it to her. When they thought Emily was dead his mother had come to him to offer comfort. He had no idea how she knew about his feelings for Emily, before he even realised the true depth of them. _"A mother knows," _was all she said when she turned up on his doorstep as he had been drowning his sorrows.

He reached the corridor and quickly joined the rest of the squad for the debriefing. The unit was a good team, and were very accepting of new comers. Morgan liked that they were able to rely on each other, not letting it hinder their job while getting used to a new person in their team. Anderson was a good leader and had trained them well. He wanted to talk to Hotch. He valued his advice and he trusted him to give him his honest opinion on the offer.

Anderson finished the debriefing, telling them to all take a break before resuming the searches to be completed. Morgan quickly walked down the corridor. He had no idea what to say to Emily, or how to approach the subject with her.

Everything between them was still new and fresh, and Morgan had no idea how this would affect their relationship. Apart from Penelope none of their friends knew about them, but Morgan didn't think it would be much of a surprise considering her reaction. He tiredly rubbed his temples; confused by the position Easter had placed him in.

Morgan looked up as he turned a corner, realising where he was in the expansive compound. He hadn't realised that he'd been walking towards the camera suite. Just as he reached the door, Emily came rushing out and bumped into him making her stumble. Morgan instinctively reached out to steady her, causing her to look up to see who she walked into.

"You okay there Emily?" Morgan asked as he met her startled gaze. He could see her worry and wondered what the cause was. "What's wrong?"

Emily's eyes lightened a little but not completely. Morgan saw the indecisiveness in her eyes and he knew she was trying to decide whether or not to tell him. She breathed out gently as she relaxed in his partial embrace. The tension drained from him as she calmed. "I didn't see you there," she told him. Morgan tilted his head to the side slightly, and she released a sigh. "Is everything okay between you and Easter?"

Morgan raised his eyebrows in question. He heard a chair wheel away quickly and he glanced through the window to see Penelope steadfastly looking in the other direction, the image of the stadium seating on her screen. "Yeah everything's okay. Look, we need to talk about something. Can you come and get a cup of coffee?"

Emily frowned but nodded anyway. "Sure."

Five minutes later they were sitting in the corner of the break room, each cradling a cup in their hands. "He asked you to lead the bomb squad?" Emily asked incredulously as she leant towards him.

"Yeah," Morgan told her as he took a sip of his coffee. "That was pretty much my reaction."

Emily looked as stunned as he felt. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before she spoke again. "Is it something that you're interested in?"

"It would make things easier for us," Morgan told her.

Emily shook her head in response. "Don't choose this because of us," She told him. "I'm not saying that I don't want you here," she slipped her hand into his. "But I don't want you to take a job that you don't want just to be with me. You'll be frustrated, and neither of us wants that."

Morgan didn't release her hand. She was right to question his motives and he was glad she was doing it. It helped him to sort through his own thoughts. "I've thought about leading my own team for a while," he admitted.

"But are you considering this team because I'm here? Or because it is something that you are genuinely interested in?"

"I'm definitely interested in it, but I always expected this opportunity to come up within the BAU."

Morgan could see the empathy in Emily's eyes. "Are you willing to give up on that?"

"I'm not sure," he replied honestly. "What do you think about it?"

"I think that you're more than capable, you excelled when you filled in for Hotch. Morgan, this is a huge decision and you can't make it within ten minutes. Easter doesn't expect you to."

"And what about Easter? You worked with him for years; I want to know your opinion."

"Easter can be a self-serving ass at times, but at the end of the day he wants the best outcome. He's had my back in several situations and saved my life many times. He's a good guy to have watching your back."

"I honestly have no idea what to do," Morgan said shaking his head. "I don't want it to put added pressure on us either. We're still trying to figure us out. I don't want us to rush into this."

"Well, why don't you go with Easter's suggestion? Take the Olympics as a trial run and then you can make the decision. A phone call to Hotch may be a good idea, get another opinion."

Morgan smiled as he tightened his hold on her fingers. "I was thinking that too." As he thought about how the team might react to losing him so close to losing Emily he grimaced. "Can we keep this between us for now?" Emily frowned at him. "If we tell Garcia, she's going to get upset and panic."

Emily nodded understandingly. "Of course," she leant in and pecked him on the lips. She smiled at him as they pulled apart. "Take your time to make this decision, and make it for the right reasons." Her phone buzzed with a message. "Sorry," she apologised as she read it. "I have to get back, we're going through a last minute briefing for the opening ceremony."

Morgan nodded as he drank the last of his coffee. "Thanks," he said as he pushed back from the table, putting their Styrofoam cups in the bin.

Emily stood and followed him to the door. "For what?"

"Being you," Morgan smiled at her. He laughed at her eye roll before he leant in to give her a quick kiss. "I will think this through Emily, but I have to say London does have quite a few positives."

Author Note – thank you for all of your comments. If you have time, I would love to know what you think, especially of the conversation between Easter and Morgan.


	9. Chapter 9

Author Note - thank you all for your feedback on the last chapter, I was worried about the conversation between Easter and Morgan. I'm glad that you're all enjoying it as much as I am writing it. I love reading all of your comments and thoughts. If you have the time, I would love to know what you think of this chapter.

Distance – chapter nine

Emily sat at the back of the camera suite watching the opening ceremony on the huge screen at the centre of the room. The screens to the side were concentrated on the audiences and the other areas of the Olympic park. The team studied the monitors closely, looking for anything out of place, anyone who was where they weren't meant to be. The ceremony was coming to a close when she felt an arm brush against hers as someone sat in the chair next to her. Looking to the side of her, Emily smiled when she saw Morgan sitting there. Glancing behind him she could see some of the other members of the bomb squad slipping into the room.

"Everything okay?" Emily asked, glancing at the screens again to see if there had been anything she'd missed.

Morgan gave her a reassuring smile when she turned back to him. "Yeah, Easter let us go because we're on the early checks tomorrow. We just wanted to see the end of the opening."

Emily relaxed back into her chair, glad of his company. Outwardly he seemed fine but Emily could see through the façade, could see he was thinking through the dilemma he'd been placed in. There was a big part of her that wanted him to take the job. It wasn't that simple though. Morgan loved the BAU and in Emily's opinion he'd been ready to lead his own team for a long time, the opportunity just hadn't come up. She wanted him to accept the job because it was something he wanted not that he was settling for a job because it was where she lived. Emily would be heartbroken if he turned his life upside down for them, for her, and they didn't work out. She didn't know if she was strong enough to handle the weight of someone else's happiness placed solely on her shoulders.

"How's it going in here?" Morgan asked her quietly, leaning into her space.

Emily inhaled his cologne discreetly, finding it comforting. She didn't turn to look at Morgan, just leant sideways to be closer to him, but not inappropriately so. "It's been fairly smooth. A bit of a rush with the crowds at the start," Emily replied quietly. "We're hoping that their departure will be smoother." Emily lifted her hand to her mouth as she felt a yawn forming.

"Tired?" Morgan asked. She stubbornly kept her focus on the screens ahead of her, but she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Someone kept me awake for half the night," Emily whispered. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him nod, acknowledging his responsibility.

Emily felt him move closer to her. She fought a shiver when she felt his breath on her ear as he spoke. "I really have missed you."

Emily gently licked her lips; shaking her head as she did so acutely aware he was concentrating on her face. She lightly tapped her foot against his shin, making him shake with laughter. "Stop distracting me," Emily told him lightly. He kept chuckling. Resolutely she stood to lean over Penelope's shoulder at her monitor.

The blonde looked amused as she turned to Emily; obviously aware Morgan's teasing had flustered the normally composed agent. Penelope looked between them to where Morgan was sitting, giving him a small wave before turning back to the screen. "I can't believe I was surprised when I found out about you two," Penelope said out of the corner of her mouth.

Emily rolled her eyes as she stood upright and moved to her paperwork, getting to ready to hand over to the next shift when the ceremony finished.

Nearly two hours later they tiredly trudged through her apartment's door. Penelope quickly retreated to her room, tired from the long day. Emily and Morgan bid her good night, making their way into the living room, closing the door to the hallway in case Morgan wanted to discuss Easter's offer. Emily bypassed the main light and turned on a few lamps. She opened the fridge door, peering inside to find a couple of drinks for them. Emily smiled when she heard Morgan groaning as he slumped on the sofa. She grabbed a couple of bottles of water and quickly sat next to him, leaving a small gap.

His head lolled on the top of the back rest, and he turned tiredly to face her smiling when she passed him the water. "Thanks," he said accepting the bottle and taking a long drink from it. As Emily did the same from her own bottle she heard the bustling street noise and realised he'd opened the windows while she had been in the kitchen.

There was a slight breeze drifting in as they sat in silence just listening to the excitement from the streets below. Emily felt the cushions shift and turned to look at Morgan, who was looking at her expectantly. "How are you feeling now?" The last minute preparations both of their teams had to do meant they hadn't seen each other since they had coffee earlier. He'd relaxed somewhat and Emily was curious what the reason was.

"I'm okay. The offer threw me a little, but it's sunk in now," Morgan lifted a hand to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingered on her jaw as his eyes focused on her face. Emily's breath caught in her throat as he stared at her. She leant into his warm touch. "I'm going to make a few phone calls tomorrow."

"Hotch?" She asked and he nodded in response.

"And my mom," Morgan said quietly.

"That's a good idea," Emily nodded understandingly; she knew how close he was to his family. Their opinion would mean a lot to him. This decision was going to be hard on him. Emily looked out at the night for a long moment. The touch of his hand on hers brought her attention back to him.

"What do you think about it?" Emily sat up straighter, shuffling uncomfortably. Morgan sensed her trepidation, and continued to move his hand along her hand and lower arm. "This decision affects both of us Emily. I want your input as well."

He pinned her with the same look he'd given her while they had been talking the night before. She wanted to run and hide from the intensity she saw there. It was moving too fast. So much was changing in such a small amount of time, and she could feel it overwhelming them both. The fingers on her jaw pressed against her fully, cupping her face.

"Hey," Morgan said soothingly. "You're scared, aren't you?"

Emily released a shaky breath, nodding emphatically. "Terrified," she repeated his word from the night before giving him a small smile. "I just…I don't know what to say. I feel like if I tell you that I want you here, I'm asking you to choose between me and everyone back home. And I don't want to put you in that position. What if you choose to take the job then we don't work out. You would have given up everything you've worked for at the BAU," she guiltily met his gaze. "But I don't want you to think that I don't want you here by not saying something."

"It's okay to tell me how you feel Emily. This is our future, we need to be honest about it," Morgan reminded her. "Long distance would give us the space to figure things out and we can take our time to get used to the changes to us before making life altering decisions." He paused. "I really don't like Easter," he joked.

Emily sighed. "He's not my favourite person at the moment either."

"I hate that it's causing us to have doubts about us," Morgan said as she relaxed against him.

"I don't doubt you Morgan," Emily said as she snuggled into his warmth. "I doubt that I'm able to give that much of myself to another person." Morgan slipped an arm around her waist to pull her even closer. Her head dropped to his shoulder and he leant his head against hers. "But I want to try."

Ever since they started working together, Emily had always felt safe talking to him. It had been refreshing when he accepted her ideas and feelings without judging her like so many people in her life. He probably understood her better than most.

Morgan's lips ghosted along her brow and she tried to get closer to him than she already was. "Good."

Silence stretched between them and she lifted her hand that was lying between them reached out to his, linking their fingers. "What are you thinking about?"

"About what I'm going to say to my mother tomorrow," Morgan said, kissing her brow again. "I don't want to think about this anymore tonight. Right now all I want to do is fall asleep next to you." He slipped out from underneath her, standing as he held his hand out to her.

"Sleep sounds good right about now," Emily smiled as she slipped her hand into his and he pulled her up, drawing her into his arms and kissing her lightly. Emily turned the lights out as Morgan locked the window and she paused at the door till he joined her. He followed her down the hall when he gave a small laugh. Looking over her shoulder at him, she asked, "What?"

"You know, I never thought you would be a snuggler."

Emily's mouth dropped open as he moved past her into the bedroom, laugh at her expression. "You know I can always sleep on the couch by myself Buddy." She moved to walk back to the living room, smiling at him.

He reached out and grabbed her hand to pull her into the bedroom. "Oh no you don't Princess."

They tumbled backwards onto the bed. Emily bracing her hands on the duvet cover either side of his head as she supported her weight on her knees, her hair falling forward as she hovered over him. He gazed up at her, taking in her features intently. His reached up to cup the side of her face and brought her down to him and kissed her deeply. Emily allowed herself to get lost in his touch, wanting to stay in that moment and forget about the huge decision they were faced with. His hands slipped to her waist, trying to bring her closer to him as he slipped his hands under the hem of her shirt.

She pulled away from his lips, a little breathless. "You're lucky I like falling asleep with you."


	10. Chapter 10

Author Note – I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who is following the story, including those of you who have added it to your favourite lists. Everyone's comments have been so encouraging and I'm glad that you're all enjoying it. So hear is the chapter that you've all been looking forward to – Fran. I hope that I've done it justice. If you have the time, I would love to know what you think of it.

Distance – chapter ten

The following afternoon Morgan walked through Emily's front door. Emily and Penelope had started later than he had that morning so they wouldn't be back for a few hours. He'd been awake before dawn and placed a small kiss on Emily's cheek as he slipped out of bed. He smiled when she rolled over, pulling the covers around her tighter, muttering a sleepy _"Morning" _before turning over and falling asleep again.

In the living room, he opened the windows and made himself a sandwich before sitting on the window seat. Looking out over London he ate his sandwich, occasionally glancing at his phone. It was about midday back home and his mom would be taking her lunch break. Pushing the plate to the side, Morgan found her number in his directory and hit the connect button.

After a few rings she picked up. "Hi Sweetheart, how's it going in London?"

"Hey Momma, London's good. I've got the rest of the day off so I thought I'd give you a call."

"You have a huge city to explore and you ring me?" She asked suspiciously. "What's wrong?"

Morgan tried to hide his laughter but failed, marvelling how she always knew when he had a dilemma. "Nothing's wrong Momma, I just wanted to talk to you."

"Hmm," came over the phone and Morgan knew she didn't believe him. She seemingly let it drop and changed the subject. "How's Emily?"

Morgan smiled at the tone in his mother's voice. She always asked how Emily was in every conversation they'd had since Emily had returned from Paris, always in the same tone. A similar tone to the one she used to pester him about grandbabies. "Um, she's good. She and Penelope are still on their shift so they won't be back for a few hours yet," he replied.

"And she's happy over there?" Fran asked.

"Yeah, she is." Morgan couldn't remember a time when he'd seen Emily as relaxed as she had been since he arrived. She wasn't as stressed with the work she had been doing at Interpol as she had when working in the field. In London she had the space to fix herself without worrying about fixing her relationships with the people around her. "Emily's settled in really well."

There was a slight awkward silence as he tried to figure out how to approach her with what he had to say. Fortunately for him, his mother had picked up on his apprehension. "Is that the problem Baby?" She asked gently.

"No, nothing like that, I'm glad that she's feeling better. This is good for her, London is good for her," Morgan said quietly. It was her fresh start. _'It could be ours,' _Morgan thought.

"But what, Sweetheart?"

"I didn't say but Momma," Morgan said.

"I heard it all the same. Tell me what's wrong Derek," Fran implored him, her worry peaking.

"I've been offered a job in London," he told her, he wasn't sure how to tell her any other way. For a long moment he heard nothing but the sound of his mother breathing as she tried to gather her thoughts.

"What job?" Morgan could hear the worry in her voice, laced with suspicion; she knew what his assignment was in London. His time with the bomb squad had always made her worry more than his other assignments.

"The bomb squad Unit Leader," Morgan said, wincing as he waited for the onslaught of an emotional outburst. But it never came. Only a sigh as his mother digested the information.

"Is that something you want to do?" Her voice was calm and resigned.

Morgan had thought about it nothing else since Easter offered him the job. He liked working with the squad and they were a good unit. He could imagine himself in that role. But he wasn't sure about leaving the BAU and everyone back home. "Yes," he admitted, there was no point in lying to his mother, she would see through him. "What do you think?"

He heard her take a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts and he felt guilty when he realised she was trying to control her feelings. "I realised a long time ago that this is what you want to do, it's part of who you are. I will always worry about you; nothing is going to change that. It was the same with your father. And I know he would be very proud of the man you've become and everything that you've achieved. I know I am. If this is something that you want, then I say do it. Because if you don't you'll regret it."

"What about being so far away?"

Fran laughed gently. "I hardly see you as it is Derek, and you live in the same country. You come home when you can, and I don't expect that to change if you move to London. I will still expect you home for the holidays if you're not working. It doesn't matter where you live or what happens, I know that you love me."

"Thanks Momma," Morgan said, feeling lighter than he did before.

"Pick up the phone whenever you need to Baby," Fran told him. "What does Emily think about the idea?"

Morgan looked upward as her voice took on that tone again. He sighed as he answered, "We're in two minds about the whole thing." He knew she would pick on his phrasing, knew what it would mean.

"You've come to an understanding I take it?" Fran asked with a smile in her voice.

"Yeah, something like that Momma," he replied, automatically scratching his head uncomfortably even though she couldn't see him.

"I'm happy for you Derek. If you've decided that you want to be together, and you're keen on taking the job, what's the problem?"

"It would make it easier to be together," Morgan admitted. "But then it could complicate things. We wanted to take our time to get used how things had changed between us, and this would speed it up faster than we want to go."

"Why does it have to? No one is telling you to move in together straight away Derek. You can still take your time and live in the same city."

Morgan contemplated what his mother had to say, realising she was right. They didn't need to rush into anything. Neither of them had the best history of relationships and he didn't want to risk losing her. He knew some of Emily's apprehension stemmed from the residual guilt she felt from the year before. He didn't realise how long he'd been silent till his mother spoke again.

"Do you realise how long I would have to wait for grandbabies if you two spent a few years exploring your relationship across an ocean before you decided this is what you wanted?"

"Momma…" he warned jokingly.

He got a hearty laugh in response. "You think you can tell me you're thinking of moving to another country and I won't use it to negotiate grandchildren?"

"I think we need to discuss your definition of negotiate, because I think you're confusing it with blackmail." She erupted with laughter and Morgan could picture her sitting in the living room as if they were in the same room. "We're still in the early stages. Discussions about children are not even on the horizon yet."

"Don't leave it too long Derek, neither of you are getting any younger," Fran told him, letting the subject drop.

The truth was he had no idea what Emily's thoughts were on children. She loved Jack and Henry, but she had never mentioned having any of her own. Her involvement with Declan's upbringing had affected her deeply and though she never said, Morgan knew she was heartbroken when she had to let him go and limit the time she spent with the boy. Morgan had no idea whether or not she still had contact with Declan after everything that happened, she never mentioned it.

"Could you not tell Sarah and Desiree till I've decided what I'm going to do?" Morgan asked, wanting to put those thoughts to the back of his mind for now.

"It's your news to tell Baby, not mine," she said gently, also dropping the subject. "When do they want your answer?"

"Before I go back to DC. At the moment I still don't know what I'm going to do."

"Oh I think you may have an idea," Fran told him sweetly. "Just take your time before you say yes, and make sure you enjoy working with the people who you will be working with."

"They're a good team," he told her. "Anderson, the current team leader, has put together some of the best there is."

"But are they nice?"

"Yeah they are."

They weren't as close as he was to the BAU, but most teams weren't. Morgan didn't expect to replicate that family style relationship with every assignment. The bomb squad had a good camaraderie and there wasn't much that fazed them. They were certainly open to outsiders and welcomed him into the team, both as a colleague and socially. Morgan suspected they knew about Easter's intention of offering the leader's job to him, but none of them had mentioned it. Anderson certainly knew, and offered his approval of Easter's proposition to him in private.

His mother's groan brought him back to the present. "I'm sorry Sweetheart; I have to get back to work."

"That's okay," Morgan reassured her. "I'm sorry I took up your entire break."

"Don't worry. Pick up the phone anytime you want to talk, I'm here when you need me."

"I know Momma. Thank you for listening."

"It's what I'm here for," she told him. "Oh and at some point I would like to meet Emily, whatever you decide."

Morgan smiled. "You've already met," he reminded her.

"That was as your colleague, not as your 'friend'," Fran told him playfully.

Morgan rolled his eyes, grateful she couldn't see the gesture, he could almost feel the flick of her nail against his ear. "For a while it may have to be through a computer screen, but I'll see what I can do."

"You better. Despite the circumstances I did like her when we met. She was very protective of you and of us when she came with that police officer. She made me feel safe that you would come home. Reassured me about the people you were working with."

Morgan smiled at his mother's words. His mother's already high opinion of Emily would only strengthen when the women got to know one another. "I better let you go now Momma."

"I love you Baby. You'll let me know what you decide?"

He stifled his laugh. "Of course. I love you too."

"Good. Now that we've had our little chat, go and explore that wonderful city," she ordered gently.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good, I want to see lots of photos."

"Of course Momma, I'll speak to you soon."

"Goodbye Baby." With that she was gone, and all he heard was the dial tone.

Morgan disconnected his phone and glanced around at the view. It was still quite sunny and clear. He turned his phone's camera on and pointed it at the London Eye and took a quick snap. He quickly typed a message to his mother before attaching the image. _'What do you think of the view?'_

He started closing up the apartment. Emily and Penelope would be back in about two hours and he planned on surprising them with dinner. Just as he was about to leave for the supermarket his phone beeped. Checking the message, he saw it was from his mother.

'_Incredible.'_


	11. Chapter 11

Distance – chapter eleven

Emily sat back in her chair feeling very content and full after eating the meal Morgan had prepared for them. The evening had been lovely and the three of them were able to relax after a long day for all of them. When they stepped through the front door she and Penelope were greeted by the smell of the wonderful Mediterranean chicken stew Morgan made.

Penelope's chair scraped along the floor as she gathered the plates from the table. Emily moved to help her but her hands were promptly swatted away.

"Uh, uh, Missy, stay where you are and relax," Penelope told her. "I'll do this."

Emily smiled thankfully at her and pulled her hands away from the plates. With it being the first full day of events, the surveillance room had been busy watching the crowds of all the events. Emily had been called in several different directions to determine possible breaches of security. Emily was glad they had the day off tomorrow, she wanted to show them London. On the way home, Penelope talked non-stop as she looked through the guide book about the sights she wanted to see.

She glanced across the table at Morgan, who was watching the scene play out before him with his eyes sparkling. He'd been gone when she woke up this morning, his side of the bed cold as she ran her hand over it. In contrast to the previous mornings Emily had glumly rolled out of bed, disappointed that he wasn't there, wondering how she had gotten used to waking up with someone after such a short period of time. She missed him. With how busy they'd been, they're teams hadn't overlapped during the day.

Watching him now, Emily noted the more contented outlook than the one he had the night before. It was more than putting on a front for Penelope's sake. She assumed his conversation with his mother went well. There was a confidence in him that had been missing since Easter offered him the position, he seemed more assured. Unable to ask him what had changed while Penelope was with them, theories passed through her mind, wondering what it could mean for them, anticipation building within her.

His happy mood began to rub off on her as she found herself smiling back at him, leaning forwards when he did so, both resting their forearms on the table.

"How was your day?" Morgan asked.

For a moment, the question threw her as Emily was hit with the oddest sense of domesticity. She wasn't used to it, never really experienced it, the small exception being her earliest memories of her parents' marriage. Before they spent more time working than with each other, before the insecurities set in, before the arguments, before the bitter divorce. Despite it being slightly awkward where they were trying to restrain themselves because Penelope was in the room, Emily liked it. It was easy with Morgan, like the rest of their relationship had been.

"It was busy," she told him with a tired smile. "There were a few breaches, but they turned out to be nothing more than people wandering off their path to certain events. We were able to deal with them quickly. What about yours?"

Morgan nodded. "It was nice to leave work before seven o'clock at night," he smiled. "Good change of pace from working in conference rooms." Emily's eyebrows rose in surprise that he would speak so openly no matter how quietly. She knew he didn't like staying still for long, hated the paperwork side of the job. Sometimes late at night in her own office she realised why he often wandered out of his office into the bullpen. It was too quiet, too easy to get lost in your own thoughts. Emily missed those days when she had just joined the BAU, when she had welcomed his teasing, when he would cut Reid off when he was rattling off a random statistic, when he would pick up on her mood and knew how to convince her to have a break to let off some steam.

His face was still a mask when he continued. "I spoke with my mom earlier," he told her. Emily's eyes bulged as she took a sip of her wine.

"How is she?" Penelope called from the kitchen.

Emily snapped out of her shock and turned to the kitchen only to see the blonde was an active participant the conversation. Turning back to face Morgan she could see the laughter in his eyes, but he didn't let it escape verbally just smiled teasingly at her nervousness. Determined not to let him get the better of her she sat back in her chair. It didn't work as he let out a small chuckle and reached out a hand to stroke the back of hers reassuringly.

"She's good," he said loudly enough for Penelope to hear but his focus was still on Emily. "We had a good talk," Morgan told Emily rather than Penelope, silently communicating the true nature of his conversation.

She allowed her own mask to drop and she gave him a small smile even though she was dying to ask him what had been said.

"She wants to see lots of photos," Morgan continued as Emily turned her hand upwards, opening it to squeeze his. Emily saw him swallow lightly, his adam's apple bobbing. "She, uh, also wants to meet you."

Emily coughed nervously as the insecurities returned. With her free hand she picked up her wine glass, taking a tiny sip as she gathered her thoughts.

She heard Penelope chuckle from the kitchen. "I never thought I would see the day that Derek Morgan would take someone home to meet his mother."

"Hey now Baby Girl, I thought you loved me," Morgan called in her direction.

"Oh I do my love, but your heart was captured by another."

Emily laughed at their teasing. "I've already met his mother," Emily added.

"That's what I told her," Morgan told them. Penelope laughed again as she cleaned down the surfaces.

"It's different now," she told them as she rinsed the cloth under the tap.

"That's basically what my mother said," Morgan said looking directly at Emily.

A mixture of worry and elation ran through her. Morgan's mother knew about them, about the job offer and she wanted to meet her, as someone other than her sons' work colleague. Her life was so intertwined with Morgan's life already that she wondered if she should be surprised by that.

Fran had been open to help when she and Reid had turned up on their doorstep to talk to them. As Emily sat in the living room with the woman and her daughters, she couldn't help make the comparison with her own mother. Emily looked at the numerous photos Fran had of all her children taking pride of place on the walls of the family home. Emily felt the love that the woman had for her family as she realised that to Fran, her children came first. She found herself envying the relationship Morgan had with his mother.

"She wants to meet me?" Emily questioned.

"Don't worry Princess, she likes you," Morgan replied, sensing her apprehension.

Emily wrinkled her nose. "She hardly knows me."

"You made a memorable first impression when you met her and she knows that I like you," Morgan said. The accompanying look he sent her way warmed her and she ducked her head.

Emily looked up when she felt Penelope's hand resting on her shoulder. Meeting her eyes, Emily could only see encouragement. "I think it's a wonderful idea," Penelope said as she reclaimed her chair.

"I said I wasn't sure when we could get the time for a visit, but if you're comfortable with the idea maybe a chat on Skype," Morgan directed at Emily.

Emily nodded, a bit more comfortable with the idea. "I have no idea when I can get time to go to the States, let alone when our schedules will line up for a visit."

Emily watched Penelope slump in her chair as she registered her answer. "So it's going to be a while before you come home?" She asked, disheartened.

Emily looked guiltily to Morgan, who was trying to hide his discomfort. "Yeah," she started gently. "There are a few operations that are in the planning stages at the moment that I will need to supervise."

Penelope looked sad and Emily's regret deepened, dreading her reaction if Morgan took the job. Emily shared a worried glance with Morgan, who mirrored her trepidation. Penelope seemed to shake off the gloom and pushed her chair back from the table. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to make anyone uncomfortable," she sniffled. "I just… I miss us all being together at home."

Emily reached out to her and Penelope looked grateful for the comforting gesture but she continued to move away from the table. She glanced at her watch before looking back at the pair still seated at the table. "I'm going to go call Kevin, let him know what he's missing out on," she paused and plastered on a watery smile. "And about how the Games are going," Penelope winked as she walked off down the hallway without waiting for them to try to stop her.

Emily continued to watch her go until she was out of sight and she heard the bedroom door shut, wondering if she should go after her friend. The sound of Morgan moving made her turn back to him. He stood beside her chair, hand extended to her, smiling invitingly at her. "I think she'll be a while making Kevin regret why they broke up," he told her as Emily slipped her hand into his.

Morgan pulled her up and led her over to the sofa. As they sat Morgan pulled her into his side, his arm placed comfortingly around her. Despite the residual heat from the day, Emily welcomed his closeness. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

She crossed one leg over the other as she relaxed back into him. "Just worried about Penelope." While Penelope had trouble coming to terms with Emily leaving her hints for Emily to return to DC were becoming less frequent.

"She needs some time," Morgan told her.

Emily wasn't convinced, but she let it drop. "How did it go with your mother?"

Morgan's lips grazed her forehead. "Better than I expected," he started. Emily looked up at him at the surprise in his voice. "She is more than happy that we've in her words 'come to an understanding'."

Emily raised her eyebrows, wondering exactly what he had told his mother about their relationship before they were together, wondering what impression she had. "An understanding?" She questioned her laughter evident in her voice.

He chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. An understanding that we want to be more than friends, an understanding that we want this to work."

Emily trembled lightly at the love reflected in his expression. It was too early to start throwing the 'L' word around, but Emily was able to admit it to herself. If she was being honest Emily could see it in the way Morgan treated her. "What about the job offer?"

His gaze drifted over her face before answering. "She thinks it's a good idea."

"Really?" Emily questioned. She couldn't fathom how Fran would like Morgan to move so far away.

"Yeah. She isn't that happy about the bomb squad part of it," Morgan explained. "My mom never liked me working that close to explosions."

"That's understandable. But she's okay with the job being in London?"

"Actually she's the one who pointed out we hardly see one another, that's not going to change wherever I am, nor is it going to change how much she worries about me." He paused, his face contorting into a smirk. "She also pointed out that we don't have to rush into anything. So if I was to take the job, I could get my own place and we could get used to dating before we take the next step."

"Sounds like a good plan," she replied. "So now you just have to figure out if you want the job."

"What job?" They both spun towards the hallway to find Penelope standing in the doorway, confusion and hurt written all over her face.

…

Author Note – So, Fran reacted okay to idea of Morgan moving. But will Penelope? Thank you all so much for your comments, you're all wonderful. I would love to know what you think of this little dilemma and who should be the one to talk to her or should they talk to her together. If you have a few minutes, let me know.


	12. Chapter 12

Author Note – Some interesting feedback for the cliff hanger at the end of the last chapter, but it was going too smoothly, wasn't it? No matter when Penelope found out about her Chocolate Thunder she was always going to be upset. I hope that you enjoy this chapter and the way I've dealt with what would always be a horrible conversation. I love reading all of your comments; let me know what you think of the way I've dealt with such a difficult situation.

Distance – chapter twelve

She stood in the doorway of the living room trembling as she heard the words tumble from Emily's mouth. s"What job?" She asked completely confused.

They spun to face her, stunned by her presence. A small pang of guilt hit her but she was too focused on finding out what they were talking about to worry about intruding on their quiet talk. Penelope had only come back into the living room because she wanted the guide book to ask Kevin about a place in London he'd mentioned the day before, only pausing in the doorway when she heard their quiet conversation as they snuggled on the sofa together.

Neither of them offered an answer, just continued to stare bug eyed at her. "What job?" She repeated.

The reminder of the question spurred Morgan to move to sit sideways on the sofa to make room for her sit beside them. "Come and sit down Garcia, we need to talk."

Like everyone else on the planet, Penelope hated that phrase. She was quickly losing grip on the tight reign she had on her emotions. She only heard the tail end of their conversation and it was causing her heart to thunder wildly in her chest. She acknowledged the invitation to sit by moving from the door way but she bypassed the sofa and positioned herself on the window seat opposite them.

Immediately Penelope saw their guilt and knew this must have been a difficult conversation they had been having. Her heart went out to them and she would give them a chance to explain. She watched them exchange a worried glance as they turned to face her, both of them leaning forward, their elbows resting on their knees.

For a long moment she waited for them to start, but they were silently staring back at her before Morgan took a deep breath. "I've been offered a job, here in London," he told her.

"I got that part," Penelope replied, unable to stop herself. She hated the whine in her voice. "And you're considering it," she stated, looking between them.

Morgan nodded. "Yes," he replied honestly.

"With the bomb squad?" She questioned. At his nod the tears that had been threatening to spill over ran down her face. "You're moving too?" Penelope asked her voice cracking.

"I haven't said yes yet," he reminded her gently.

"But you're considering it," she reiterated.

Morgan fell silent and Penelope glanced at Emily who opened her mouth a couple of times before speaking. "Pen, we haven't decided anything yet."

Penelope blinked at the empathy in Emily's eyes. "You know, I thought you two being together would make it easier to convince you to come home. Not mean that you both move to London."

Penelope saw Emily's eyes fill with tears and she felt like they were back in the conference room when Emily told them she was leaving. She desperately wanted to hug the brunette, wanted to comfort her as well as be comforted. But she needed more answers before that could happen.

"I'm not ready to go back, Pen," Emily said gently, shaking her head.

"But no one blames you for what happened," Penelope said as more tears escaped.

"But I blame myself," Emily said as tears rolled down her cheeks. "It's something I need to deal with in my own time."

That made Penelope pause, and their gazes locked for a moment. She wanted to reach out to Emily but she restrained herself, determined to get all of the answers. She saw Morgan hand twitch as he looked at Emily and realised he wanted to do the same thing she did. Her gut twisted when she realised he was holding back because of her. "Do you want to leave the BAU?"

Morgan was wide eyed as he turned back to her. He rubbed the back of her head, and Penelope could see the uncertainty in his expression. Morgan sighed and glanced at Emily briefly, sharing a look with her. Emily looked as scared as Penelope felt. They hadn't discussed this part, she realised.

"There's a big part of me that wants to," he confessed.

Penelope felt her heart drop and the lump form in her throat. Emily sat up a little straighter at his admission, a mixture of surprise and worry on her face.

"Why?" Penelope was finally able to ask.

"Because it's not the same anymore," he said.

"Don't make the decision because I'm here Morgan," Emily said quietly.

Morgan clasped his hands together at their apex and looked at her. "I'm not. I realised over a year ago that I didn't want to be in the BAU without you."

Emily's head tilted to the side as she acknowledged what he admitted. "Really?" She asked timidly.

Penelope would never forget his devastation at losing Emily. Outwardly Morgan had stayed strong for her and Spencer, offering comfort when he could. He never shared his grief, but Penelope had seen the faraway look in his eyes when he looked at her picture of fallen agents. It had only been replaced by determination when they had scoured their sources for the man who had killed their friend. Morgan had been a shell of the man he was, only focusing when they had a case.

She had seen his mask slip once. The anger and frustration had been pouring after he came back from his counselling session with Hotch as he sat on her couch and asked for her help to find Doyle.

He nodded uncomfortably. "I only stayed because I needed the resources to find Doyle."

Penelope looked to the floor briefly as she knew he was right, but it didn't make her feel any better. She knew he'd been miserable for the last two months while Emily had been in London. But she had no idea he'd consider taking another job.

"You could have told me," Penelope told them as she returned her gaze to them.

"That was my call," Morgan said. "You're still dealing with Emily leaving, and I didn't want to worry you till we had made a decision. I didn't want to make you anxious about something that may not happen."

Penelope could understand his reasoning and wondered if she would have felt better if she had been told like Emily had told them two short months ago rather than listening in on their conversation. A huge part of her still wanted to be in the dark, that she should have turned around and gone back into the guest room to phone Kevin and be blissfully unaware of what they were discussing. But she wasn't able to do that now.

"I wish that I hadn't overheard you," she whispered. It would have been easier that way, and they had her best intentions at heart by not telling her sooner.

Emily pushed herself up off the sofa and the window seat cushions dipped as she sat next to Penelope. Immediately Penelope wrapped her arms around the brunette, who clung to her in return. "I'm so sorry Pen," she mumbled into her shoulder.

Penelope shook her head. "No, you had the best intentions and I'm grateful for that." They held each other for a long time, and they both had wet patches on their shirts from the other's silent tears.

A few minutes later Morgan appeared at the side of them, and they drew apart. He offered them a box of tissues with a sad smile. They both thanked him as they lifted a hand to take one each and he returned to the sofa as they dabbed at their eyes. As Penelope removed her glasses to dry to rim of them, she recalled the other conversation they'd had after dinner.

Pinning Morgan with a look she replaced her glasses. "You called your mom today," she told him.

"Yeah," he confirmed, already knowing what the next question was going to be.

"And you told her?"

"Yeah," Morgan said again. "She encouraged me to take the job," he offered before Penelope prompted him.

Penelope blinked back the surprise. "She's okay with you moving to another country?"

"Yeah, she doesn't think it'll change much because I don't get to go home that much now," he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "She may also be trying to use it to blackmail grandchildren out of me." He threw a cautious glance in Emily's direction. Penelope followed his gaze to Emily and saw the deer-in-headlights expression on her face. "I also told her that talk about children wasn't even on the horizon yet," he added mostly for Emily's benefit.

Emily relaxed visibly and sat back against the window seat. Leaning back next to her Penelope pondered that titbit. "But they would be so adorable," she told them somewhat dreamily. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Emily nod almost imperceptibly and she realised her gaze was locked with Morgan's. A sense of intruding came over her again as she watched their silent communication that had always fascinated her. "Well if your mom can use this to bargain for grandchildren, can I petition for the part of fairy godmother when they arrive?"

"They?" Emily laughed nervously.

"Um, I hate to tell you but your walls are quite thin. With the lack of sleep I'm getting, I doubt that two children would be a stretch for you two," Penelope replied making Emily blush.

"First thing in the morning, I'm buying you ear plugs Baby Girl," Morgan told her rising from the sofa to grab the glasses from the table and the bottle. He poured each of them a glass.

They all drank, and Penelope contemplated them and the huge decision they were faced with. "I'm not saying that I'm happy that you're considering leaving, but you know that I'll always love both of you," she told them. "Whatever you finally decide, I'll support you."

Morgan looked grateful as he looked up at her admission. "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

"We both do," Emily added.

Her phone beeped, signalling a message. Checking the phone, she saw a message from Kevin telling her he was free to talk. "As much as I don't like London at the moment, I still want to explore it. I'm going to phone Kevin and get an early night. I'll see you in the morning my Loves."

"See you in the morning Pen," Emily told her, kissing her cheek.

Morgan stood when she did, opening his arms to her when she approached. "Good night Baby Girl," he told her encircling in his arms. "Thank you," he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

She gave him a watery smile as she pulled back, lifting her hand to caress his cheek. "Promise me that whatever you decide, you'll both be happy."

"We'll give it our best shot," he assured her with a smile.

Penelope accepted his answer with a nod and with a small wave of her hand she returned to her room. Leaning on her door to shut it, she sighed. She hoped she was strong enough to support them as promised. _'I hate change,' _she thought to herself.

The ringing of her phone cut through her thoughts. Pressing connect she put it to her ear. "Boy am I glad you called Kevin…"


	13. Chapter 13

Author Note – thank you all for your lovely comments. I found this chapter a bit of a challenge as I usually shy away from using Hotch in my stories. I hope I did okay. I would love to know what you think, so if you have a few minutes let me know.

Distance – chapter thirteen

The following morning Emily and Morgan emerged from her bedroom in their running gear. They found the living room empty as they grabbed a drink and some fruit. Emily walked back down the short hallway and placed her ear to Penelope's door. She frowned as she didn't hear any noise from inside. Emily raised her hand to quietly knock. When she heard a mumble from inside she turned the handle to open the door a fraction. Leaning between the gap she called out softly, "Hey Pen."

A mass of blonde curls appeared from under the duvet. Penelope's glassless eyes were barely open as she turned her head in Emily's direction. "Huh?"

"Sorry to wake you, but I just wanted to let you know that Morgan and I are going for a run," Emily told.

"M'kay," Penelope replied and her head flopped back onto the pillow. Emily heard a gentle snore emanating from her friend and backed out of the room.

Re-joining Morgan in the living room she saw his worry as he waited for her to return. They hadn't seen Penelope after she retreated after their talk; she had stayed in her room. Her reaction played on both of their minds, Morgan because he had been with Penelope while she dealt with Emily leaving, and Emily worrying because she realised her reaction must have been worse than they let on.

"Is she okay?"

Emily shrugged. "She's not awake. I told her and she mumbled before going back to sleep," Emily made her way to the kitchen to pull a notepad out. "I'll leave a note to remind her."

She quickly wrote the message on the pad and left it by the kettle for Penelope to see if she woke before they returned. Morgan followed her out of the apartment and down to the street. They made quick work of the distance to the park that Emily usually ran in.

"So how many laps do you usually do?" Morgan asked as they reached the entrance.

"I do three around the pond usually trying to avoid the ducks," she said leading the way along the path. She dodged two overly friendly ducks and looked at Morgan when she heard him chuckle. "What?" She asked.

"Just three?" Morgan asked smirking at her.

Emily was reminded of their Sunday workouts as he issued the challenge. Competition had been a huge component in their training, and as one of the few people able to keep up with him Emily relished the contest. Whoever lost the weekly battle always accepted the loss, accepted the good natured teasing from the other.

"I think with the amount of walking we'll be doing later, three will be more than enough." Morgan laughed heartily as they lazily started to jog the path.

"Backing down from a challenge Emily?" He asked cheekily.

Emily laughed lightly. "Never," she told him as she picked up her pace.

They matched each other step for step as they continued around the pond. In the end they ran five laps, each one quicker than the last as they gained momentum. By the final one their competiveness led to a sprint finish to the path leading to the park entrance, Morgan's longer stride just edged him out in front, but Emily was only a few paces behind him as he halted just inside the gates.

She could feel his gaze on her as they caught their breath. An enigmatic smile graced her face as she turned to him expectantly. "What?" Emily asked.

Morgan laughed gently as he reached out to tuck a stray tendril behind her ear. "I think you're getting rusty behind that desk Princess."

"Keep dreaming Buddy," Emily rolled her eyes but laughed anyway. Their shoulders bumped as they started to walk around the pond.

"I miss our work out sessions," Morgan admitted. "The park's nice."

Emily turned her gaze to the trees enclosing the gardens. "It's lovely, even when it rains." While Emily didn't mind running in the rain, she preferred dry conditions. Thankfully it was a hot summer, but as it was early in the morning the temperature hadn't reached it's peak yet. Emily sat on a nearby bench and waited for Morgan to sit next to her. "So, we've established that London has a lot of positives," she said casting a cautionary glance at him. "What about the negatives?"

Emily watched his face contort as she restarted the conversation they abandoned after Penelope had gone to sleep the night before. Despite promising to take his time with the decision, to Emily it seemed like he had already made up his mind, especially after his talk with his mom. In her heart Emily was happy he was leaning towards taking the job with the bomb squad, but in her head she wanted to make sure he had considered all angles.

"Okay, negatives," Morgan replied, understanding where she was coming from. "First I'll be at seven hours from Chicago. I'll be leaving almost everyone that I care about," he said looking meaningfully at her.

Emily picked up the rest of the negatives. "You'll be giving up a job that you love. I know what you said last night, but if you didn't love the BAU, you wouldn't have stayed there for as long as you have. Nor would you have put in the effort you do."

Morgan nodded. "I love the job. But I meant what I said last night."

Emily was surprised that he really had contemplated leaving the BAU after she had gone to Paris. "Did you ever mention it to anyone? That you wanted to leave?"

"I told Hotch, when he did our grief counselling," he replied. "It's probably why I haven't rung him yet."

"Because he already knows," Emily finished for him. She hadn't really comprehended what Penelope had been trying to explain when she said they were both miserable.

"He still deserves a phone call at least. I owe him that much." Despite not always seeing eye to eye, the two men held a tremendous amount of respect for one another. "I'll phone him this afternoon," Morgan promised.

Emily felt better he would be talking to Hotch about the decision, at least he wouldn't be blindsided if Morgan decided to take the position.

"How do you think the rest of the team are going to react?" Morgan asked.

Emily looked out at the pond as she remembered the day she told everyone she was leaving. "I think besides Penelope, Reid will be the most worried."

Morgan leant forward to balance his elbows on his knees. "Yeah," he agreed. "I don't think we can bribe him with god children."

Emily laughed nervously as she shifted on the bench. "Not sure, he loves Henry."

She knew he could sense her reluctance and turned his focus to her. "Are you okay with all the talk of children?" He asked to gently.

Emily curled a leg underneath her. "I am okay with it," she began. She knew he picked up on her discomfort when the subject of children came up the night before.

"But…"

"Last week we were friends who talked a couple of times a week. And now we're discussing life altering decisions," she told him honestly. "Throwing children into that discussion adds a lot of pressure."

"I agree," he assured her. "My mother has been asking for grandchildren for years, even when I haven't been involved with anyone. We don't need to worry about that," he promised. "We don't need to move any faster than we want to. We're the only people who matter in the pace we set."

"Thank you," she told him as she shuffled closer as he leant back against the bench. "I know that you're not pushing for us to move faster, and I know that they're not. But I find it strange when people imagine you married with children within a week of being with someone."

Morgan gave a small laugh. "Fair point."

"I'm not saying that I don't want children," Emily told him. "But I agree with you, that discussion isn't even on the horizon yet." She returned the smile he shot at her as she repeated his words. "Besides, I love Pen, but I don't want her listening in on their conception."

Morgan started laughing as she ducked her head into his shoulder and slipped her hand into his. Emily felt his lips brush her forehead. "Fair point. So you're not scared about the prospect of having children?"

"Terrified, but it's a good terrified," she said as she leant in to kiss him sweetly.

"Good," Morgan said pulling back. He pushed off of the bench, and pulled her up into his embrace. Kissing her lightly he laughed again. "Come on, let's go and see if Baby Girl is awake. We can pick up breakfast on the way back."

He started to lead her out of the park, his arm stretching behind him as they held onto one another. "Don't forget the ear plugs," Emily told him.

They stopped in the bakery at the end of Emily's street to pick up breakfast and Morgan ducked into the convenience store next door to get the ear plugs. A short while later they walked through the door of the apartment to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Walking into the living room they found Penelope at the table with her lap top open, the tour guide book she had brought in her hand as she looked between the screen and the page.

She smiled up at them when she heard them enter. "Good morning Crime fighters. Good run?"

Emily smiled back at her, trying to hide her search for any sign of misery underneath the techie's smile. Considering Penelope usually wore her heart on her sleeve, Emily could barely detect any anguish. Emily could see that Penelope was making an effort to support them and appreciated it. "It was fun," Emily replied holding up the box of pastries they got from the bakery. "We bought breakfast."

Penelope cooed over the box as she made room on the table for them. "Oooh, they look so good," she moved her stuff to the kitchen counter. Going into the kitchen she poured Morgan a coffee and made Emily some tea. "And who won the race?" She questioned cheekily as she brought the cups over to the table.

Emily regretted looking at Morgan when she saw the smirk on his face. "He did," she replied pointing at him.

Morgan's smirk grew. "Emily's scared of ducks," he offered as he sat down at the table. He handed the small package he purchased in the shop to Penelope. Her eyes lighting up as she saw them.

"They're pink," she laughed. She cast a look at Emily. "So ducks, huh?"

"I'm not keen on them, there's a difference."

Penelope laughed. "Uh, uh, sounds like someone's scared."

Emily shook her head and decided to change the subject. Nodding at the laptop on the counter she asked, "Do you have a route planned?"

…..

Hours later they were walking beside the Thames towards the London Eye. Penelope juggled the gift bags she held with her camera so she could get a picture of the attraction. Morgan looked to Emily who was smiling as she watched their friend. He pointed to the side of Penelope as he took the camera away from their friend. Penelope looked at him in confusion.

Morgan gestured for the women to stand next to the wall dividing the walk way and the shore line. "Go stand over there Baby Girl," he told them.

Emily placed her arm through Penelope's as they leant towards one another while smiling at the camera. Morgan pressed on the shutter to take the photo with the attraction in the background. He handed over the camera so they could inspect the image.

"We're going to get the tickets," Emily told him after a moment. "Do you want to come?"

Morgan looked over her shoulder at the queue. "I'll wait here," he said leaning against the wall. "I might make that phone call to Hotch."

Emily smiled as she touched his arm reassuringly. "Looking at that queue, I think you'll have more than enough time. I'll come and get you when we've got the tickets." Her hand patted his forearm softly and gave him a quick kiss before joining Penelope at the back of the queue.

Morgan turned to the water, looking at the calm ripple of the tide as he gathered the courage to make the call. He knew Hotch would give him his honest opinion about the offer and give it an accurate assessment. Taking a deep breath he pulled his phone out. Selecting Hotch's name he pressed connect and waited for the Unit Chief to answer.

A few seconds later he answered. "Morgan," Hotch's voice greeted over the phone.

Morgan could hear the concern in the other man's voice, always worried about his agents. "Hey Hotch," Morgan replied. "How's it going?"

"We're just on our way to Seattle. The police department need our help with a serial killer." Morgan could hear rustling from the other end and he guessed Hotch was packing his briefcase to get ready to leave. "Is everything okay Morgan?"

"Yeah everything is fine. I just wanted your opinion on something. It doesn't matter if you're about to board the jet."

"I still have twenty minutes. What do you want my opinion on Morgan?"

Morgan heard the suspicion mixing with the concern. "Easter asked me to lead the bomb squad when the current leader retires after the games."

There was a silent pause from Hotch and Morgan could imagine the other man stood in his office as he processed what Morgan said. After a long moment Hotch spoke again. "It's a good offer."

"Yeah," Morgan agreed. Apart from wanting his opinion, Morgan wanted his approval. After Hotch declined to recommend him for the New York post a few years ago, Morgan had wanted to prove he was ready to lead his own team. The opportunity to lead the team while Hotch stepped down temporarily had given him a new insight into the other man's job, deepening his respect for the man. It made him realise he hadn't been ready for the position in New York, but he felt ready for this job.

"The job is in London?"

"Yeah. I wanted to know what you think of it."

"You're not sure," Hotch surmised. There was a small pause. "I think you've grown a lot in the last few years and I think you've been ready for some time now. I think Easter picked wisely."

Morgan heard the pride in his voice. "I haven't decided anything yet," Morgan told him explained.

"I think that you'll excel in the position and you'll be an asset to them."

"I don't want to let you guys down so close to losing Emily."

"It will be hard to replace you and we will miss you," Hotch assured him. "But if this is what you want, you won't be letting us down." There was another pause. "Have you discussed this with Prentiss?"

Morgan looked over his shoulder at the woman in question. He could hear the rare implication in Hotch's voice, and Morgan marvelled how the man knew what he knew. "Yeah, she's trying to help me make an informed decision."

"I'm sure she'll be happy to have a friend there," Hotch replied.

Morgan heard a knock through the phone and he assumed Hotch covered the end of the phone, muffling his end. Morgan thought he could hear JJ speaking and then there was a rustling before Hotch spoke again. "I'm sorry Morgan I need to go. The jet is almost ready."

"That's fine, thanks for listening. You've been a great help."

"Are you any clearer on what you'll decide?"

"I think I am," Morgan told him.

"Keep me informed," Hotch asked him.

"Of course, I'll speak to you soon. Thanks for the advice."

"You can ask anytime, Morgan." With that Hotch hung up.

Morgan did the same, turning his phone in his hand before pocketing it in his jacket. He heard Penelope talking animatedly as she and Emily approached. Turning to greet them, he smiled. He saw Emily watching him subtly, looking for any sign of unease and he nodded reassuringly. With a sense of confidence that he hadn't felt since he'd been offered the job Morgan pushed off the wall and started towards them. He'd made his decision.


	14. Chapter 14

Author Note – I just want to apologise for the longer than usual wait for this chapter, been a busy week and haven't had a day off since the last update. Thank you to everyone who has commented, reviewed, followed and added this to their favourite lists. I'm so happy you're all enjoying it, I'm having a lot of fun writing it. I like cliff hangers because they leave the audience wanting more. But I am quite aware that you've had a long than normal wait so without much further ado, Morgan's decision.

Distance – chapter fourteen

Almost two weeks later Morgan sat on the steps near the top of the stadium, looking down over the empty seats as he watched the teams of people setting up for the final rounds of the athletics categories. He'd finished his checks and he had a little while before the briefing with the team who would be starting the day shift soon.

He hadn't let anyone in on his decision yet, not even Emily though he was sure she knew, just let himself enjoy the experience of being at the games while they lasted. The lack of discussion hadn't gone unnoticed by Penelope but as she wasn't too happy with the subject she hadn't brought it up. Morgan was happy that she had allowed herself to relax.

He smiled when he heard the clicking of heels approach. If he didn't recognise the pattern of her footfall, the vanilla scented perfume would have given her away. Morgan kept his gaze on the centre of the stadium when she sat on the nearest seat. He could sense her anticipation building as he made her wait. After a few moments a foil wrapped package touched his shoulder as she nudged him with it.

"Emily asked me to give you this because you probably haven't had breakfast yet," Penelope told him. "But if you're going to ignore me I'll give it to the cute security guard on the gate."

"Hand it over Baby Girl," Morgan turned to her, charm smile at the ready as he reached up to grab the package. He'd been given the early start. Once again he left Emily snuggled in bed before dawn, marvelling that she allowed herself to relax so much in his presence she lowered her natural defences and was unaware as he slipped out of bed. "Thank you," he told her as he opened the breakfast sandwich.

"You're welcome," she said, following his gaze to the arena. "How's your morning been?"

"Good," Morgan said as he took a bite. Glancing at his watch, he turned to her. "You guys are early."

She nodded. "Emily had to sort out some paperwork for her assistant to take back to her office." She paused looking at the view once again. "I got you this as well." Penelope looked forlorn as she stared at the newspaper in her hand before giving it to him.

Frowning at her disheartened expression Morgan accepted the paper. It was the property section from one of the local newspapers. Morgan looked up at her, sighing as he saw the sadness mixed with an underlying acceptance. "Penelope…" He began but she held up a hand to stop him.

"Don't say it. I may have accepted it in my head, but saying out loud makes it more real," Penelope told him gently. "And I don't think you would be able to handle the tears."

"I haven't told anyone my answer yet," he reminded her.

"Yeah but you're going to take it."

Morgan nodded. "You're dealing with this really well"

Penelope gave a small laugh as he moved to sit next to her. "Emily leaving hit me harder than I thought. It completely blindsided me when she told us she'd been feeling that way for an entire year, I was upset that none of us noticed she was keeping all those feelings bottled up. The last time that happened we ended up thinking she was dead for seven months. I know that she usually deals with stuff in private, but I thought we, as a team, as a family, were working past it after she came back."

Morgan could hear the shaking in her voice. "We were, but Emily needed to take step back from the cases. She wasn't handling them as well as we thought."

Morgan had discovered a new level of hatred for Doyle as he realised he'd destroyed Emily's ability to compartmentalise. Outwardly in the months before Emily left she had always maintained a professional level of composure but Morgan had noticed a few cracks forming that she hastily tried to cover up. He would always regret assuming she was dealing with it in her own time and not confronting her sooner.

"I understand that now. But all that I've thought of for the last two months was that she was all alone dealing with that turmoil on her own, shut off from us all. And as I thought about Easter's job offer I realised she wouldn't be alone if you moved here."

Morgan wrapped an arm around the blonde and pulled her into his side to place a kiss on her head. "So you're okay with this then?"

"I am if I think of it this way," Penelope assured him.

"You know I love you right?"

Penelope let out a happier giggle. "Oh my love, you have no idea how much I adore you," she snuggled into the crook of his arm.

He turned his attention to the paper as he noticed some of the listings circled in red pen. "Um, house hunting for me Baby Girl?"

Penelope shook her head, her blonde curls shaking. "I don't want Emily to be alone, but I understand neither of you are ready to move in together and start work on those fairy god children just yet. Commitment phobia affects all of us my friend."

"Truthfully, I'm not scared of committing to Emily. I admit in the past I have been, but that hasn't even crossed my mind when making this decision. It wasn't about not wanting to commit; it was more it would be too much pressure to make it work. And I didn't want that pressure to scare Emily."

"So you're ready to abandon your rule of 'no women with guns'?"

"I am," he smiled as he squeezed her. "Anyway I thought you were trying to work things out with Kevin."

Penelope turned her head to look up at him from her position, a stern expression meeting his gaze. "We are talking, I don't think we can ever go back to how we were before but I hope we can work on being friends."

"Hmm," Morgan grumbled.

Penelope laughed gently, patting his hand lightly. "Now, now I can handle Kevin Lynch. You don't have to worry."

"I always will," he told as he squeezed her again.

"I know. Why don't agree to a policy of 'don't ask, don't tell' when it comes to Kevin?"

"Agreed."

The chair behind them creaked as someone sat down and leant their forearms on the backs of their chairs. "What are you two planning?" Emily asked.

"Not planning my raven haired beauty, discussing affairs of the heart," Penelope replied as they pulled apart to allow Emily to poke her head through the gap. "Maybe a little preplanning."

"Preplanning?" Emily asked.

Morgan held the paper up so Emily could see. "The property section."

Morgan concentrated his focus forward, not looking at Emily as she processed what they had just told her. He didn't have to wait for long. "You're taking the job?" She clarified, astonished.

"Yeah, if you don't mind sharing London with me," he smiled as he faced her.

She smiled enigmatically as she leant in to place a small kiss on his cheek. "I'll be very happy to have you here. You're sure this is what you want?"

"Yes," he assured her, rolling his eyes at her worry. "Besides I think Garcia's already packed my bags."

Morgan grunted as Penelope's elbow made contact with his rib cage. "In a perfect world you would both be at home, but this is an acceptable second best."

Morgan saw the frown dawn on Emily's face but she didn't question Penelope's new attitude. She gave him a questioning look and he subtly shook his head in response, letting her know everything was okay. "Have you let Easter know?" Emily asked, sidestepping the change in her friend's outlook.

"Not yet," Morgan replied. "I thought I would let it go down to the wire before I told him, let him stew a little."

Emily chuckled. "It's more than he deserves."

"That reminds me, I need to have a little chat with that man before we leave," Penelope injected.

This time both Emily and Morgan laughed nervously as they could imagine the types of threats issued on their behalf, knowing Penelope would follow through on them. "Right I need to get back to the briefing room before the rest of the team arrive."

Morgan crumpled the now empty wrapper as he released Penelope and stood from his seat. Both women followed his lead and together they started up the stairs. They paused in the door way before they went their separate ways. "I'll see you later," he told them as Penelope took a few steps in the direction of the surveillance room. He turned to face Emily who was looking at him expectantly. Morgan was surprised when she opened her arms and wrapped herself around him. His arms coiled around her, holding her tightly to him. Morgan began to get concerned as she was normally reserved in public.

"Thank you," Emily whispered against his ear.

He breathed out in relief. "It was the breakfast sandwich that swung it Princess," Morgan told her. His joke had the desired effect as he felt her shake with laughter against him.

Emily pulled away from him, shaking her head. "Don't expect it all the time Buddy."

Sensing a lift in her mood Morgan kissed her quickly before reluctantly releasing her completely. "We gotta go."

"I'll speak to you later," she said as she joined Penelope and walked away from him.

He watched them go for a moment before turning in the opposite direction towards his briefing room. Making quick work of the route, he soon found himself walking through the door to be greeted by Anderson.

"Morgan," he acknowledged warmly. "Good morning so far?"

"Yeah," Morgan replied as he opened his locker to stow the paper. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Anderson looking at him knowingly.

The current leader of the bomb squad held out his hand to Morgan with an approving smile on his face. "Congratulations," he offered quietly.

Shaking Anderson's hand, Morgan looked around the debriefing room. Seeing everyone's attention was elsewhere, Morgan replied quietly, "I haven't officially accepted the position yet."

"But you will."

"Yeah, just going to let Easter wait a bit."

Anderson let out a laugh, clapping a hand on Morgan's shoulder. "Good on you, he's too sure of himself. Let him sweat a little."

Morgan nodded. "Yeah."

"I must admit he offered the job to the right person though." Anderson offered as he started to move to the front of the room to start the briefing. "Come on we need to get on with the planning for the closing ceremony."

As Morgan listened to the division of tasks he felt a relief that a few people knew, it felt better that they accepted his decision. It gave him confidence that he had made the right decision.


	15. Chapter 15

Author Note – thank you all for such a great response to the last chapter. I love reading all of your comments. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, if you have the time I would love to know what you think.

Distance – chapter fifteen

Emily led Penelope and Morgan through the throng of bar patrons. Even though the closing ceremony for the Olympics had taken place a few nights ago, London was still buzzing with excitement. She scanned the crowd for a familiar face when she caught sight of a hand waving at her. She sent a small wave in acknowledgement to Amy and continued to move through the crowd towards the group congregating near the back of the bar, underneath a banner proclaiming 'good luck'. Anderson was circulating amongst the well-wishers, laughing heartily whenever someone asked him what his plans were for retirement.

"What do you guys want to drink?" Morgan asked as they approached the bar.

"Glass of red, please," Penelope replied.

Morgan nodded and then looked past her to Emily. "Emily?"

"Um, red sounds good." She answered distractedly, her focus on Easter who was sat next to Amy. Morgan still hadn't told him his answer and he and Penelope were leaving to go back to DC the following night. Maybe it was a tiny bit of insecurity on her part, hoping neither man would rethink their choice.

Her time in London had been peaceful but lonely. Despite regular contact she had missed the team, she missed DC, and there had been times in the middle of the night when she woke from a nightmare she considered going back. In the back of her mind, she wondered if anything would have been different if she had said something sooner, wondered if she would have stayed if she had been honest with herself and everyone about her feelings.

Ever since Easter had offered Morgan the job her heart was going back and forth between panic and excitement, fighting the urge to get used to the idea that he was staying. But she liked coming home to him. When Morgan told her he was taking the job a huge sense of relief came over her. Overcome with emotion, she had barely been able to verbalise how happy she was. As much as she tried to convince herself that she didn't mind if he took the job as long as he was happy, there was a big part of her that wanted him there with her.

Emily dreaded the next step for Morgan. He still had to inform the rest of the team about his choice to leave. He gave her so much support during that day in the conference room Emily wanted to be there for him to return it, but she couldn't. Emily knew they would all understand in the end. Penelope's acceptance of the move allowed all three of them to relax.

There had been a strange sense of normalcy for the few days since the end of the games. As a thank you, Easter had given her the time off to spend with them before they left. They had taken the time to explore the rest of London. She threw herself into enjoying the time they had together knowing it would be at least a couple of weeks before Morgan returned.

_Emily rolled over sleepily, snuggling into the warm muscular chest she encountered. She slipped an arm around Morgan's waist as she snaked her leg around his. She felt his lips brush her forehead and smiled as she returned the gesture to the skin underneath her chin. Emily popped one eye open when she heard the rustle of paper from just in front of her. _

"_Is that the property section?" Emily asked groggily as she craned her neck to look up at him._

_He smiled as he looked down at her. "I was wondering if you could take a look at a few of these for me because I won't have time to before I go back."_

"_So I get to pick out your apartment?" She asked as she pressed her body further into him._

_She felt him chuckle. "I trust your judgement, but I have one request." Emily raised her eyebrow at him to elaborate. "Try to avoid apartment buildings with a lift like the one you have."_

"_I knew you had a problem with it," she teased as a smirk bloomed on her face._

"_Laugh it up now Princess, just you wait till I tell everyone you like to snuggle."_

_Emily laughed as she plucked the newspaper from his grasp and threw it to the floor. Swinging her leg over both of his and situated herself across his lap as she leaned down over him. "You like snuggling with me too much to do anything that might make me stop."_

_Morgan's chest rumbled as he laughed. He reached for her waist, his fingertips trailing up and down, making it hard for Emily to suppress her shiver at his touch. "You know, you can be pretty persuasive when you want to be."_

_Emily let out a small yelp as Morgan tightened his hold on her waist and flipped them over so Emily was lying flat on the mattress. He hovered above her, his hand bracing either side of her face, gazing down at her. After a long moment, Emily felt the intense gaze getting to her and she felt the blush spreading across her body. "What?" She asked gently as he continued to stare intently at her. _

"_I like waking up with you," Morgan explained as he ducked his head lower to capture her lips in a quick passionate kiss. _

_The kiss ended too soon for Emily and she groaned when he pulled away. "I could get used to it," she admitted as she reached up to pull him back down to her._

Morgan's hand moving in front of her face brought her back to the present. Though she could see the teasing on his face she could also see the masked worry in his eyes. She shook her head to let him know she was okay, giving a smile as she accepted her glass from him.

His brow creased momentarily as he moved closer to her protectively. He looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to them. Emily followed his eyes around the room, noting that Penelope had seated herself on the other side of Amy, and the two of them were talking animatedly as Easter had now disappeared from his spot.

Morgan leant in conspiratorially. "Do you want to tell me where your mind was?" He asked his concern evident.

Emily gave a reassuring smile. "Nowhere bad I promise. I was thinking about this morning." Emily bit her lip as she could almost see the clogs turning in his mind as he puffed his chest out proudly, a satisfied grin on his face. "Yeah, I was about half an hour before where your mind is now Buddy." She laughed when the grin stayed in place, but was now mixed with an adoring look and grabbed his hand to pull him behind her to take a seat next to Amy.

He resisted and she turned to him in confusion. He nodded his head towards the bar and she looked past him to see Easter ordering a drink. "I need to let him know my decision," Morgan explained seriously as he released her hand, but not before giving her a peck on the lips.

"Good luck," Emily told him as she tried to control the tingle that swept through at the simple gesture before she continued on her own towards the table.

…..

Morgan returned to the bar. He had seen the relief in Emily's eyes when she had joined Penelope and Amy at the table.

"Morgan," Easter greeted before turning back to the bartender and adding another scotch to his order.

"Easter," Morgan nodded as he placed his bottle of beer on the bar. For a moment he felt like they were back the stadium in that same stand-off when Easter offered him the job.

"Have you thought about my offer?" Easter asked a teasing lilt to his voice.

That was what bothered Morgan about Easter. He always sounded amused and smug, like he already knew the answer. While Hotch usually knew the answers before Morgan did, he never held it over his head. "Yeah," Morgan offered with a nod.

"Have you got an answer for me? Because the deadline is looming," Easter prodded.

Morgan hid his own smile as he heard the first signs of doubt in the other man's voice. Remembering Emily's assurances that Easter wanted the right outcome from investigations Morgan's resolve strengthened. He would have to get used to the man if he was going to work with him.

"You kinda sprung it on me, don't you think?" Morgan couldn't resist letting him sweat a little longer.

"I guess I did," Morgan saw the realisation dawn in the other man's eyes. "You play your cards close to your chest, but that'll just make an easier transition for the rest of the bomb squad. Most of them have guessed that you're my choice for the next team leader, and they approve. I know the younger members have looked up to your expertise and they all respect you."

"You're presuming a lot."

"Really?" Easter questioned. "Would you have kissed Emily in the middle of this bar if you hadn't decided to move here? You wouldn't be putting either one of you through the heartbreak of starting something only to be so far apart if you turned the job down." Easter shrugged at the raised eyebrow Morgan sent him. "I'm a romantic at heart, I like happy endings. And if there is one person who deserves a happy ending, it's Emily. Even if it's just because she thinks she doesn't deserve one."

In a few seconds, Morgan gained a new found respect for the man before him. Easter had been Emily's partner before him and Morgan realised Easter knew her almost as well as he did. The exposure of his human side was refreshing for Morgan and he was glad that someone was looking out for Emily. He had never seen them interact that much, but he could sense the protectiveness that was born out of situations that only partners in their profession went through.

"She does," Morgan agreed. "I need to go back and formally give in my resignation to Hotch, work my notice."

Easter nodded understandingly. "Let me know when you can start, Anderson is going to be doing part time till you get back." He slid one of the glasses towards Morgan, picking up his own when Morgan did. "To happy endings," the two men touched glasses.

"To happy endings," Morgan echoed before they both drank.


	16. Chapter 16

Distance – chapter sixteen

Her view from behind a pillar was virtually unobstructed, offering her a hiding place as she watched the office door. She ducked backwards when it opened and she could hear Morgan saying goodbye to Easter. Penelope watched Morgan walk away down the corridor towards Emily's office.

That morning Emily had been called into the office. The minor incident had been quickly dealt with and as they had some time before their flight Morgan had taken the opportunity to sign some paperwork while Emily had arranged for one of the technical analysts to give her a tour of their facilities.

While Penelope was enthralled by their equipment and the expertise of the staff, her mind had been playing on the conversation Morgan was having. After the tour finished, her guide offered to take her back to Emily's office but Penelope assured him she knew the way. A few minutes later she found herself standing outside of Easter's office waiting for Morgan to leave. Penelope would never contemplate doing or saying something like this to Hotch, trying to pull this off with a former secret agent was tying her stomach in knots. She hated the thought of what she was about to do but these people were her family and she needed to know they were going to be safe.

Walking the small distance quickly, Penelope was relieved Easter's secretary was nowhere to be seen. She knocked on the door once, her other hand on the handle. A spark of adrenaline shot through her as she heard Easter's casual "Come in," through the door she twisted the handle and entered the office, closing the door behind her by pressing her back to it.

Easter was sat hunched over his desk, writing something on a form before signing and slipping it inside a manila folder. He finally looked up at his guest as he placed the folder onto the pile on the corner of his desk. Seeing who had come to see him Easter gave her a charm smile as he leant back in chair. "Ms Garcia, what a nice surprise," he greeted.

"Not really," Penelope tried to put as much bitterness as possible into her voice. Even she could tell she hadn't pulled it off but she hid her wince once the smile on the former undercover agent's face widened. A short staring contest ensued and Penelope wasn't sure whether or not to be relieved when Easter looked pointedly at his watch.

"Don't you have to be at the airport soon?" He asked prompting her into action.

Penelope huffed, trying to hide her embarrassment at his amusement, as she stepped further into the room. "We're leaving soon," she told him as she took the chair in front of his desk without being invited too. "I just wanted to tell you something, a promise," Penelope told him trying to convey more confidence than she felt. He stayed silent, but he nodded for her to continue. "If anything ever happens to them I will hold you responsible."

To his credit Easter didn't laugh when Penelope could tell he wanted to, he simply nodded. "And how will you do you that?"

Penelope knew he was indulging her, but it only fuelled her ire. "I'll reduce Interpol's computer system to a pile of nothing except wires, monitors and mush." She pushed her glasses back up her nose and sat back in the chair.

Another short staring contest followed and Easter nodded approvingly. "Oh I believe you're more than capable," he told her seriously. "Is there anything I can offer you that would tempt you away from the BAU?" His charm smile returned full force.

Penelope shook her head, her blonde curls bouncing lightly. "Nothing," she assured him with a small smile. She relaxed back into her chair, more at ease now he had accepted her threat with semi-seriousness. She lifted her hand to cover her laughter at her own fluster. Her eyes met his again when he gave a small laugh. "I'm sorry I don't threaten people very often," she apologised.

"I could never tell," Easter joked. "I know that you care about them…"

Penelope held up a hand as she cut him off. "I don't just care about them. They're my family and I love them," she explained, all her mirth gone. "I don't think I could handle it if anything happened to them again and we'll be so far away now that they're in London."

"You want assurances that they'll be safe," Easter stated softly. At her emphatic nod, he continued. "But this isn't that much different from the job they do with the BAU," he pointed out.

"But I don't know who they're going to be working with. At the BAU I know who has their backs, I'm one of them. I don't know your team, I don't know if I can trust them." Penelope was pleasantly surprised Easter was more approachable than she thought.

Easter puffed out a breath as he leant forward to rest his elbows on his desk, his hands clasping together. "I'm not sure what assurances I can give you, because we both know what this job entails. And I certainly can't let you peruse the personnel files of the people they will be working with, though I'm sure with your abilities you can do your own digging, if you haven't already," he told her pointedly. Penelope took the hint and nodded guiltily, fixing her eyes on a spot on his desk. "Well if you find anything we haven't, I would appreciate it if you would share it with us. What I can say is Emily will only go into the field as a last resort, most her time will be at a desk," the smirk returned momentarily. "But we both know how bored she gets with paperwork," he explained conspiratorially.

Penelope rolled her eyes but nodded anyway, her fears only somewhat alleviated by his explanation. "What about Morgan?"

"It's the bomb squad," Easter told her gently. "There is always going to be a risk. Although saying that there is a lot of paperwork that will come with his job, as well as being responsible for the training of his team as well as the training we give to all agents."

"He gets bored easier than Emily," Penelope replied.

Easter nodded sadly. Penelope wanted to be mad at him for splitting her family up, but he was only doing his job. Sometimes she hated being able to see some good in everyone. She was glad he was being so understanding, she could only imagine what Hotch would have said if she tried something like this with him. Or Strauss.

"I know this agency has a murky reputation," Easter started.

"It's clouded in mystery, especially to outsiders" Penelope explained.

"I'm trying to put together a team who will change it for the better."

Penelope studied his face for a few seconds trying to see any signs he was lying. She couldn't see any. "Well you've chosen two of the best," Penelope admitted quietly.

"Within the normal expectations of the job I promise to do as much I can to keep them safe," he assured her.

"That's all I ask."

"Because they're your family," Easter looked at her meaningfully before he glanced at her watch. "Now I believe you've got a plane to catch."

Penelope glanced at her watch, her eyes widening at the time. "Oh gees," she muttered as she hastily stood, quickly sidestepping the chair so she wouldn't fall over it. "I was supposed to be back in Emily's office ages ago." She paused as she was about to open the door, turning back to him as he stood from his chair. "Thank you, for this. You could have just told me to go away."

"Did it help?"

Her head tilted to the side as she contemplated his question. "Not really, but they're my-"

"Family and you'll always worry about them."

She nodded as he finished her sentence. Her heart was lighter but the prospect of change still weighed on her mind. "But thank you for trying to help. I need to get back to Emily's office before they come looking at me."

"Have a safe journey home," Easter said as he came to hold the door open for her. "And if there is anything that could ever tempt you away from the BAU, don't hesitate to let me know."

Penelope laughed softly. "Sorry the BAU is my home," she couldn't imagine leaving the team. No matter how much she enjoyed the temporary assignment in London, she was looking forward to going home. She missed the rest of the team, she missed her office, and she missed her apartment and the new addition of Sergio.

With a wave Penelope left the Interpol agent to make her way back to Emily's office. She was waved in by Amy as she was on the phone. "They've been looking for you," she explained quietly covering the mouth piece with her hand.

"I had something to do before I left," Penelope replied as she stepped through Emily's door. As soon as she entered Emily and Morgan whirled to face her, worry evident on their faces.

"Where did you get to Baby Girl?" Morgan asked.

Penelope gave him a wicked smile. "I decided to have a chat with Clyde Easter about splitting up our family." She tried to keep a straight face as they both studied her to figure out whether she was telling the truth. After a moment Emily's eyes widened comically and Penelope gave a small chuckle as she shook her head. "Well that was the intention anyway, it didn't finish that way but he understood that you're my family and I expect you to be looked after."

The worry didn't slip from their face as they continued to stare at her dumb founded. "What did you say Pen?" Emily asked.

Focusing on Emily she replied, "That is between me and the real life James Bond."

The former partners shared a nervous look. A few seconds later they turned back to Penelope, and she shrugged in response. Emily's eyes lightened at the gesture and Penelope could see she was trying to hold back her laughter.

"I'm sure I could get it out of you if I had time to bribe you with a bottle of wine."

"I'm sure you could but my Chocolate Thunder and I need to be on a plane soon."

Emily nodded sadly, and Penelope knew they were both thinking about a girl's night that they would be having if they weren't going to be separated by an ocean soon. Emily set about closing down her office and collecting her things as Penelope and Morgan said goodbye to Amy.

All too soon for Penelope's liking they were at the standing in the middle of departures terminal at Heathrow. Her head nestled onto Emily's shoulder as she held onto her friend tightly. "I'm going to miss you Pen," Emily told her, sniffling.

Penelope fought to keep her tears from falling as she stepped back, her hand coming up to cup her face. "Don't get me started because I'm going to be crying on Morgan's shoulder all the way home."

"I gave him tissues for his carry on," Emily said. They shared a tearful laugh as they pulled away from one another.

Penelope stood to the side as Emily wrapped her arms around Morgan. They held onto each other for a long time and Penelope wondered why they had taken so long to act on their feelings. She hoped they would be happy after all of the heartbreak and anguish. Penelope was glad they were taking a chance even if was in London rather than DC. She allowed a tear to escape as she watched Morgan press a kiss to Emily's forehead.

"I'll be back before you know it," Morgan assured Emily before sharing a kiss with her. "I need to go so I can come back."

Emily released him and stepped back looking to Penelope again. "You better visit," she told her warmly.

"You won't be able to keep me away," Penelope promised as she ran a hand down Emily's arm to squeeze her hand.

The overhead speaker announced their flight and the shared one last look. "Call me when you land," Emily asked.

"Of course," Penelope told her as she picked up her carry on.

She joined the line for their gate and tried not to listen in on their final goodbye. Out of the corner of her eye she saw them kiss again and smile softly as they parted. "I'll see you soon," Morgan told Emily and Penelope saw Emily's eyes flash at the sentiment.

"See you soon," Emily replied with a small smile.

….

Author Note – I couldn't let them leave London without Penelope having a little chat with Easter, it was too much to resist. How do you think it went? Did you like the little reference to _Goodbye_? If you have any comments, I would love to read them. So if you have the time, please let me know.


	17. Chapter 17

Author Note – I'm a happy person, 200 aired here the other night. It's sparked a few ideas, which is fuelling another idea that has been rattling around in my noggin for a few weeks, but I've given myself a new rule – work on one story at a time – and I'm trying not to break it. I'm hoping to be moving house soon (it's taking so much longer than I expected, and I haven't got a specific date yet, grrr), which is going to mean limited internet for a few weeks, so there may be a long break between some of my updates. I hope to get as much done as I can before I go, but I don't think this will be finished. Anyway I hope that you will stick with the story, and you're still enjoying it. If you have any thoughts or comments I would love to read them.

Distance – chapter seventeen

The sun was setting as they landed. After getting through security, Morgan waited by the conveyor belt to grab their bags while Penelope went to get a trolley for them. He was pulling her bag from the belt when she hid a yawn as she sidled up next to him. It had been a long flight, and due to a crying baby neither of them had gotten any rest while in the air.

"Oh, there is yours too," Penelope pointed to a bag a few meters away.

"Thanks Baby Girl," Morgan pulled his bag off as soon as it was close enough.

Making their way to the taxi rink outside, they hailed a cab and directed it to Penelope's apartment. Morgan settled against the back seat as they drove through the streets of DC. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Penelope's gaze drifting sleepily as she looked out at the passing scenery. Morgan knew she had missed home while they were in London and his decision weighed heavily on her. He knew that tomorrow her resolve to support him would be tested. Just thinking about the conversations he was going to have made Morgan feel anxious. He knew it was going to be difficult telling the team.

The cab drew to a stop outside Penelope's building. They paid the fair and Morgan helped Penelope up to her apartment with the bags. As she checked her messages, the last being from Kevin about feeding Sergio that morning, Morgan looked around the apartment to see if anything noticeable was out of place.

A few minutes later Penelope came to stand in front of him. "Do you want a drink?" She asked.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to get going. Get some rest Baby Girl, you're tired."

"Are you going to talk to everyone tomorrow?" Her eyes were wide and Morgan could see her trying to hide her uneasiness. He didn't want to worry her further but they needed to be honest about this.

"I'm going to talk to Hotch at least, see what he says about letting the rest of the team know."

Penelope nodded, breathing deeply. "Do you plan to tell them like Emily told us?"

"Yeah, I think it'll stop any confusion and at least everyone will know at the same time," he glanced over her face, contemplating her reaction. "If I don't have the opportunity to tell everyone tomorrow will you be able to…" Morgan trailed off as he tried to figure out the best way to put across what he was trying to say. Fortunately she figured it out.

"You wanna know if I'm going to be able to fake happiness to make people think everything is okay?" Penelope asked with the small beginnings of smile on her face, not offended like he thought she might be.

He felt the heat in his cheeks as he scratched the back of his head guiltily. "Something like that," Morgan replied. "I know I'm putting you in the middle here, and you hate keeping secrets."

She nodded knowingly. "I'll be fine Morgan. This is your news to tell and I'm not going to share it with anyone."

"Thank you."

Morgan realised that she sensed his worry about how she was dealing with his decision. "You know I'm going to be fine, don't you? I'm going to miss you like crazy but it's okay because this is what you need to do, for you and for Emily."

Morgan stared at her apprehensively, searching her face for the signs of wavering. Morgan sighed as he saw none. "You know I love you, don't you?"

Penelope beamed at him as she nodded. "Thinking about missing you and Emily makes me wonder what I did to deserve people in my life that I treasure enough to miss."

"You're the light in our darkness Baby Girl," Morgan told as he stepped up to her, leaning his head down to place a kiss on her forehead. Her arms slipped around his waist and he held onto her for a moment before releasing her. Kissing her forehead once again he told her, "Get some rest, we have an early start tomorrow."

As if on cue Penelope lifted a hand to hide a yawn. Morgan looked pointedly at her and she nodded her agreement. She followed Morgan as he walked to her door, holding the door for him as he left. "You better get some rest too," Penelope told him as he waved and smiled over his shoulder.

"I will after I phone Emily to let her know we arrived home safely. Night Baby Girl."

"Give my love to Emily," Penelope called as he disappeared down the stair well.

After another short cab journey Morgan walked through his front door for the first time in weeks. Clooney was still with JJ till the following night, a test run for her and Will she said when she offered to have Clooney while he was away after Will's suggestion they get a dog. Morgan dropped his bag by the bottom of the stairs and ventured into the kitchen. He made himself a drink and made his way to the living room. Pulling out his phone, he found Emily's number and pressed the dial button. It only took a few rings for her to answer.

"Prentiss," she said softly into the receiver.

"Hey Princess."

"Hi, how was the flight?" Emily asked her tone brightening.

"It was okay, no jet, but not awful."

Emily chuckled softly. "Compared to other units, we get spoilt with the jet, don't we?"

"I guess we do," he smiled.

"How was Pen?"

Morgan paused as he tried to figure out the right way to put it. "She was better than I thought," he explained.

"She's stronger than you think," Emily told him. "Her support will help you. I don't think I could have gotten through talking to the team without you."

"Have you got any pointers?" He asked, remembering how devastated she had been after talking to them. He clearly remembered pushing away from the wall and opening his arms to her as the tears began to fall. Morgan ignored their surroundings as he held her, ignored all warning bells about regulations and inappropriate behaviour when he pressed a kiss to her forehead. They forgot about where they were as they clung to one another for a long time. Reluctantly pulling apart and returning to their desks.

The day had been hard for all of them and Morgan wasn't surprised when Emily left earlier than normal. That night he had returned home, and after sorting out Clooney he'd turned around and gotten into his car to drive to Emily's. Even though they hadn't made plans to see one another she hadn't been surprised to see him, melting into his arms as almost as soon as she opened the door.

"Be prepared for guilt," Emily offered. "Especially when Reid asks you why."

"I'll explain it to him afterwards," Morgan assured her.

"For him it'll be like losing his big brother."

"He doesn't see me as a big brother," Morgan told her, trying to convince Emily as much as himself. He knew he hadn't succeeded when her laughter drifted through the phone.

"Yeah right," she scoffed. "You think he would ever be comfortable enough to play pranks on anyone who he didn't think of as a big brother?" Morgan smiled at the memory despite how angry he'd been when Reid messed with his phone.

"Okay, so maybe he is like a little brother." Morgan cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Um, do you think I should tell them about us? Because if you think Garcia can keep it from JJ…"

Emily's groan cut him off. "I think all you'll need to worry about with JJ is a few smirks. I'll bear the full brunt of the Pen and JJ's interrogation. Pen hasn't even begun to scratch the surface."

This time it was his turn to groan. "I don't think I want to know about that conversation."

"It's probably for the best. It'll only encourage you."

"Really?" Morgan asked with a chuckle and raised an eyebrow. "You know maybe I should be involved in that conversation."

"No chance Buddy, ladies' night is just for us ladies."

"What about the others?"

"I think Hotch and Rossi already suspect something. I'm sorry I can't be there for you," Emily said sadly.

"I wish you were here."

"Mm, the bed is cold without you," Emily told him.

Morgan's eyebrow rose again. "You're in bed?" He asked as he sat up a little straighter.

This time her laughter was seductive as it sounded in Morgan's ear. "Do you realise what the time it is here Buddy?"

"Sorry, I don't think I registered anything after you said you were in bed," he replied cheekily. He was encouraged by another laugh, a huge smile on his face relaxed back into the sofa. He could imagine the naughty spark she got in her eyes whenever she felt mischievous. "So, tell me more about how you wish I was there…"

"I'm not going to stroke your ego Buddy." Emily's laugh turned into a groan as she realised how that must have sounded. "I didn't mean it like that."

"You're the one who started this Princess," Morgan pointed out.

"I guess I did, so I might as well finish it." He heard the rustling of fabric as she adjusted the sheets. "Just let me get a bit more comfortable."

…

The following morning Morgan met Penelope at the security check in the lobby. They rode up in the elevator in silence. Morgan sipped his coffee as Penelope dug through the bag of gifts they had gotten for everyone. He was going through the conversations he was about to have. After being welcomed by JJ and Reid, and an awkward introduction between Penelope and Alex, Morgan made his way to Hotch's office.

He knocked once on the unit chiefs' open door. Hotch looked up immediately, gesturing for Morgan to enter. "Welcome back Morgan. Did you have a good flight?"

"It was good," Morgan replied walking further into the room and shut the door behind him. Looking at the paperwork on Hotch's desk he asked, "Is now a good time to talk?"

Hotch's face remained stoic as he concentrated on Morgan, after a moment he gave a small nod and signalled to the chair in front of his desk. "I gather you enjoyed the assignment."

"Yeah, I uh, um have this for you," Morgan reached into his pocket to pull out the envelope there. He hesitated, looking at the envelope before handing it over to Hotch as he sat down. "It's my formal resignation."

Hotch nodded once again, his face unreadable as he opened the envelope and read the letter inside. Once he was finished he refolded the letter and placed it back into the envelope. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Every time he had been asked that since he had made his decision Morgan had felt a snag of uncertainty, but sitting opposite Hotch he felt no worry or fear. "Yes."

"You weren't sure when we spoke a few weeks ago," Hotch prodded.

Morgan felt like he was on the end of an interrogation, but he understood that Hotch was doing for his own benefit. "I wasn't then, but I had some time to think and I realised that I would like to take the job. I enjoyed the assignment, and they're a good team."

Hotch nodded understandingly, he paused as he considered her words. "I realised some time ago that you were ready for your own team. I also realised that you were holding yourself back to stay with the team, not for yourself but for the team."

"We've been through a lot in the last year and a half," Morgan pointed out.

"And we've gotten through it. I hope that your new team appreciate you as much as this one does."

"Thanks," Morgan said. Silence spread between the two men for what seemed like an eternity.

"Does anyone know about you moving to London?"

"Just Prentiss and Garcia. If it's okay with you I would like to tell everyone all together at the briefing today."

"Of course," Hotch nodded. "How is Garcia taking it?"

Morgan heard the concern in Hotch's voice. "She's doing okay. She and I had a chance to talk about my reasons for taking the job. She understands why I've made the decision."

"She'll need some time to adjust to the changes in the team," Hotch said, waiting for Morgan to nod before continuing. "What about Prentiss?"

Morgan tried to hide his smile at the question. "Prentiss is helping me to look for an apartment while I'm here," Morgan hoped that would be all he would need to tell Hotch. He had no idea how to approach that subject with Hotch, not wanting the other man to think anything inappropriate happened while they were working together.

"How is she doing over there?"

"She loves it. Misses everyone, but she's doing well. She's settled in at Interpol, those offices put these to shame."

Hotch gave him half a smile in response. "I think it'll do her good to have a familiar face over there."

"I hope so," Morgan's lips twitched and the flicker in Hotch's eyes told him he caught the movement and the tone. The other man's smile turned bittersweet, and Morgan realised he must have been thinking of Hailey.

"Don't let the job stand in the way of being happy," was all Hotch said sadly. Morgan acknowledged him with a nod, knowing that was Hotch's way of approving the relationship, knowing there were no words that would offer the unit chief comfort for his lost love. Hotch was aware of his scrutiny changed the subject hastily when he became uncomfortable. "How long before you have to be back in London?"

"I told Easter I would have to work my notice."

"So just a couple of weeks." Morgan nodded again.

Morgan saw Hotch's eyes glance at the window, the rest of the team were shuffling past to make their way to the conference room. He huffed out a breath, wondering if any of them had peaked into the closed office on the way past.

"Are you ready to talk to them?" Hotch asked as he began to stand and gather the files for the briefing.

"I think I am," Morgan replied as he stood as well.

Hotch's lip quirked at the uncertainty in Morgan's voice. They paused for a moment before Hotch held out his hand to Morgan. "Congratulations Morgan, you're going to be a great team leader."

"Thanks," Morgan smiled as he accepted his hand to shake it.

"Now for the hard part," Hotch said as he opened the door and gestured for Morgan to walk ahead of him.

Morgan took a deep breath before stepping out to make the walk to the conference room. _'This is the hard part.'_


End file.
